2001: choosing the next president
The succession crisis began during General Choi Hong Hi’s lifetime. He combined the presidency with the authority of the founder and technical teacher. In the early 2000s, the federation faced the task of transferring leadership while preserving its international network.
The 2001 Rimini congress elected the founder’s son, Choi Jung Hwa, as the next president. Subsequent disputes over the transfer of authority led to a separate congress in 2002 and the formation of his own ITF network.
Why the masters divided
The dispute concerned future leadership, relations with North Korea, negotiations with the WTF and the way the ITF was governed. Choi Jung Hwa and other participants assessed these questions differently. The disagreements between father and son acquired international significance because they concerned the future direction of the entire federation.
The groups supported different grounds for succession. Choi Jung Hwa’s supporters upheld his election. Another group followed the founder’s final wishes. European leaders and masters insisted on constitutional procedure and a decision by an international congress.
June 2002
Choi Hong Hi died in Pyongyang on 15 June 2002. After his death, part of the leadership supported Chang Ung, the DPRK’s member of the International Olympic Committee. He was elected president of the Vienna-based ITF on 22 September 2002 and led it until 2015.
Chang Ung’s supporters based their choice on the founder’s wishes. His opponents advocated election through the federation’s constitutional bodies. Disagreement over how the decision should be made became a central cause of the organisational division.
During 2002–2003, national associations and instructors chose their affiliations. Separate committees, competition calendars and international programmes formed around the different leadership centres.
Warsaw: the formation of our international branch
On 13 June 2003, the Warsaw congress elected Trân Triêu Quân as president. He advocated constitutional elections and collective governance. The All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation, AETF, its national associations and experienced leaders provided a major foundation for this branch.
The Warsaw congress shaped the future of the pan-European ITF branch to which our Federation belongs. It retained a worldwide reach through national and continental organisations. Chang Ung’s and Choi Jung Hwa’s networks continued operating separately.
Three main ITF branches
By the middle of the 2000s, three principal lines associated with Choi Jung Hwa, Chang Ung and Trân Triêu Quân were operating. They developed separate international networks, held their own championships and continued using the ITF name. Disputes over governance, the name and the inheritance no longer had a common organisational centre recognized by all parties.
For clubs and athletes, the division created separate international calendars, championships and grading networks. Ukrainian masters faced the task of legally establishing representation within their chosen international branch. This connected the international history directly with the creation of the All-Ukrainian Taekwon-Do Union in 2006.