Abstract

When many people think of Asian martial arts, they picture the white uniform and black belt as used in many Japanese and Korean martial arts. With that image in mind, belt-rank promotion and the often-theatrical fashion of these events symbolize an important ritual in fostering loyalty and reinforcing hierarchy. It is a significant source of revenue for martial arts schools and organizations. Against this backdrop, this article focuses on the popular Korean martial art of taekwondo, which is also an Olympic sport. Participation in the Olympics and other international taekwondo events requires a black belt certificate issued by the Kukkiwon (Gukgiwon), a quasi-South Korean government-supported organization. On the other hand, the Olympic sport of taekwondo is administered by World Taekwondo (WT), an international sports organization. In 2017, the idea arose within WT of issuing its own black belt certificates, thereby sidelining the Kukkiwon. Accordingly, this article aims to describe the present conflict between these institutions, which is threatening the survival of the Kukkiwon, which is not only a symbol of taekwondo but also of Korean national identity.