North Korea likely to secure UNESCO Taekwondo listing ahead of South Korea

UNESCO’s evaluation body has recommended the inscription of North Korea’s “traditional martial art: Taekwondo” onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This recommendation makes North Korea’s solo listing nearly certain, as previous evaluation recommendations have rarely been overturned during final deliberations.

The development significantly complicates efforts by the South Korean government to pursue a joint listing or an extended listing with the North. While South Korea submitted its application for “Taekwondo: the training culture of Korean dojang communities” in March 2024, North Korea filed its application earlier that same month.

South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration stated it will continue to pursue a solo listing for South Korean Taekwondo regardless of the UNESCO outcome. The agency also noted that the traditional knowledge and techniques of Hanji (traditional Korean paper) making received a recommendation for inscription, which could bring South Korea’s total number of UNESCO intangible heritage entries to 24.

The final decision will be made next month at the 21st session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Xiamen, China.