Article · Fundamentals
Major Taekwondo organizations compared
How World Taekwondo, the Kukkiwon, the ITF, USA Taekwondo and the ATA differ and how they relate to one another.
Several kinds of organization shape Taekwondo today: international federations, a technical headquarters, national governing bodies, and independent associations with their own curricula. They are not all connected, and a school can belong to one without any link to the others.
| Organization | Founded | Role | Relationship to the others |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Taekwondo | 28 May 1973 |
International federation for Olympic-style Taekwondo[1] |
Works closely with the Kukkiwon; separate from the ITF |
| Kukkiwon | Named 6 February 1973 |
Technical headquarters in Seoul[2] |
Works closely with World Taekwondo |
| International Taekwon-Do Federation | 22 March 1966 |
Federation with its own 24 patterns and rules[3] |
Separate from World Taekwondo; divided into several groups after 2002 |
| USA Taekwondo | U.S. national governing body[4] |
World Taekwondo member association; the Kukkiwon's primary U.S. partner since May 2024 |
|
| ATA Martial Arts | 1969 |
Independent organization teaching Songahm Taekwondo[6] |
Sources do not describe any affiliation with World Taekwondo, the Kukkiwon or the ITF |
World Taekwondo and the Kukkiwon #
World Taekwondo was established as the World Taekwondo Federation at an inaugural meeting held at the Kukkiwon, and it governs the Olympic sport, with IOC recognition from 1980.[1] The Kukkiwon describes itself as the central institution and highest technical authority of Taekwondo, and the two organizations work closely together.[2] See Taekwondo at the Olympics.
The ITF #
The ITF was founded in 1966 by Choi Hong-hi, before World Taekwondo existed. It uses its own patterns, terminology and competition rules, and after 2001 and 2002 it divided into separate groups that share its name, so a school's ITF affiliation should be checked against the specific group.[3]
National governing bodies #
USA Taekwondo is the national governing body for Taekwondo in the United States, recognized by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and by World Taekwondo, and it was named World Taekwondo's top member association in governance in September 2024.[5] In May 2024 it also became the Kukkiwon's primary partner in the United States.[4]
Independent associations #
Some large organizations teach their own curricula and issue their own ranks. The largest in North America is ATA Martial Arts, founded in 1969 by Haeng Ung Lee, with more than 300,000 members and licensed schools in many countries; it teaches Songahm Taekwondo.[6][7] Its own site and the encyclopedic sources reviewed here do not describe it as a member of World Taekwondo, the Kukkiwon or the ITF.
Kwan organizations #
The original kwans, such as the Moo Duk Kwan and the Song Moo Kwan, continue as separate organizations, and some of their schools follow the Kukkiwon curriculum while others keep their own. See History of Taekwondo.
Sources
- Wikipedia, "World Taekwondo" en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Kukkiwon" en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "International Taekwon-Do Federation" en.wikipedia.org
- USA Taekwondo, "USA Taekwondo strikes historic partnership with Kukkiwon," 9 May 2024 usatkd.org
- USA Taekwondo, "USA Taekwondo best MNA in governance," 30 September 2024 usatkd.org
- Aaron D. Horton, "American Taekwondo Association," Encyclopedia of Arkansas encyclopediaofarkansas.net
- Wikipedia, "ATA Martial Arts" en.wikipedia.org
Online sources last checked 31 October 2026.