2025 GCS International Convention Adopts GCS Bishkek Peace Initiative
By Seok-jae Kang
BISHKEK: The 2025 GCS International Convention unanimously adopted the 2025 GCS Bishkek Peace Initiative on September 19, 2025 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, calling for promotion of world peace through sustainable security and peace-building efforts.
The 2025 GCS Bishkek Peace Initiative read that “most wars are unnecessary, preventable and cruel human follies. Sustainable security and peace building demand truth-seeking, intellectual integrity and the rigorous pursuit of knowledge.”
The initiative stressed that “upholding the U.N. principles about preventing wars, sovereign equality and non-intervention in domestic affairs, the absence of structural violence and of coercive diplomacy, upholding international law, and sustainability, is of crucial importance.”
The 2025 GCS International Convention, which was held in a hybrid format, took place at the Technopark Convention Hall in downtown Bishkek, drawing about 200 people from host Kyrgyzstan, Korea, India, Australia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, France and Kazakhstan attended the event in person.
The annual GCS Bishkek convention, which lasted about three hours from 3 p.m., drew VIPs, including Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of GCS International and WT; Magableh Maher, president of GCS Australia and a WT Council member; Namdev Shirgaonker, president of GCS India and president of Taekwondo India; Saddad Al Amri, a WT Council member and former president of the Saudi Arabian Taekwondo Federation: Hazem Naimat, vice president of the Jordan Taekwondo Federation; and Philip Buedo of France, chairman of the WT Technical Commission.
A total of 26 Korean GCS members participated in the annual convention. Among them were Lee Hyeong-taek, a board member of GCS International; Prof. Suh Joo-hwan, president of GCS Korea; Lee Won-jong, secretary general of GCS Korea; Seok-jae Kang, vice president of GCS International; Duck-hwa Hong, new secretary general of GCS International; So-young Won, director of GCS International; and a five-member ICKC (International Center for Korean Culture) delegation headed by Eui-kun Park, advisor of the ICKC.
Also on hand were Umbetaly Toktoralievitch Kydyraliev, president of the Kyrgyz National Olympic Committee; Kwang-jae Kim, Korean ambassador to Kyrgyzstan; Alexey Park, president of GCS Kyrgyzstan and president of the Taekwondo Association of the Kyrgyz Republic; and Seung-gyu Lee, technical director of the Taekwondo Association of the Kyrgyz Republic.
At the GCS convention, the participants made their country reports in-person and online. Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India made their respective online presentation. India proposed hosting the 2026 GCS International Convention.
An ICKC taekwondo development fund was delivered to the Taekwondo Association of the Kyrgyz Republic.
