THF Asia to speed up humanitarian activities

By Seok-Jae Kang
Vice President, Asia Journalists Association

SEOUL: THF (Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation) Asia is set to further speed up its humanitarian activities in the Asian region this year.

With the final approval of THF, whose headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, THF Asia plans to establish its Asian branches, highly likely in Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.

THF Asia was established in March 2022 with its headquarters in Seoul, Korea. Its purpose was to help empower refugees and disadvantaged children in the Asian region.

“To further activate our THF Asia’s humanitarian activities, we want to set up local branch offices in the Asian region, pending the approval of THF,” said THF Asia President Kang Dae-geun.

Kang continued to say, “In this regard, we will further expand our relations with WT Asia and other taekwondo organizations at home and abroad as well as GCS International.” Kang also serves as a board member of GCS International.

The THF Asia president has tried to attend as many WT-promoted events at home and abroad as possible over the last one year. He visited, among others, Sofia, Bulgaria for the 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the 11th Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships, Pokhara, Nepal for the opening ceremony of the WT-Um Hong Gil Human School Cares Program, Guadalajara, Mexico for the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships, and Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships.

Kang also attended the 2022 GCS International Convention in Bangkok, Thailand and visited the Azraq refugee camp in Amman, Jordan last October.

THF Asia sponsored the 10th NSDF Pattaya Choi Young Seok Cup International Taekwondo Championships 2023 in February this year in Pattaya, Thailand. THF Asia supported financially athletes from economically difficult countries in the Asian region to participate in the international taekwondo event.

THF Asia plans to cooperate with the Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation to jointly organize a WT-sanctioned THF Asia taekwondo event in December this year.

“THF Asia wants to organize as many taekwondo events as possible and wish to support refugees and Cares students to attend the events, thus giving them hope and dreams,” Kang said.

The THF Asia head delivered a competition uniform and a T-shirt with a THF logo to Sri Lankan athletes Irangani Pushpa Kumari Mahadula and Chalinda Sampath Liyange Liyange shortly before the General Assembly of World Taekwondo on May 28 in Baku, Azerbaijan.