USA TAEKWONDO, KOREA TAEKWONDO ASSOCIATION, AND PAN AMERICAN TAEKWONDO UNION SIGN HISTORIC MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

USA TAEKWONDO, KOREA TAEKWONDO ASSOCIATION, AND PAN AMERICAN TAEKWONDO UNION SIGN HISTORIC MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

Landmark agreement formalizes strategic partnership between three major taekwondo governing bodies ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games

Charlotte, NC — USA Taekwondo (USATKD), the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA), and the Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a formal collaboration framework between the three organizations. The agreement marks a significant step in aligning the global taekwondo community ahead of a landmark moment for the sport: the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which will mark the first time Olympic taekwondo competition is held on American soil.

The MOU commits all three parties to strong and sustained collaboration across athlete development, competitive programming, coaching exchange, and event support, with a specific focus on mutual backing for the US Open Taekwondo Championships and the Korea Open G2 International Championships, two of the most prestigious events on the World Taekwondo calendar.

"This MOU is about more than a piece of paper. It's about building the kind of deep, lasting relationships that genuinely move our sport forward," said Steve McNally, CEO of USA Taekwondo and Vice President of the Pan American Taekwondo Union. "Korea is the heartbeat of taekwondo, and we feel that connection every single day at USATKD. We recently welcomed Daehoon Lee, one of the greatest athletes Korea has ever produced, as our new National Team Coach, and this MOU is a natural extension of that same spirit. Together with KTA and PATU, we have a real opportunity to make something special happen for athletes, fans, and the sport, and LA 2028 gives us the perfect north star to build toward. I’d like to personally thank KTA President Professor Jin Ban Yang and PATU President Juan Manuel Lopez Delgado for their leadership, friendship and unwavering support.”

Under the terms of the MOU, the three organizations commit to a wide-ranging program of cooperation. Both the US Open and the Korea Open G2 will benefit from dedicated cross-organizational support, including promotion across all three bodies' official channels, facilitated athlete participation, and technical collaboration. The agreement also outlines a framework for coach and expert exchanges, joint training camps, referee development, and shared advocacy at the World Taekwondo level.

The signing comes at a moment of deepening ties between US and Korean taekwondo. USATKD recently appointed Daehoon Lee, a two-time Olympic medalist and one of the most celebrated competitors in the sport's history, as its new National Team Coach, and appointed Myung Chan Kim as Chair of its Technical committee. Their presence within the US program reflects a growing alignment between the two countries' taekwondo communities and adds further depth to the partnership formalized by this MOU.

The agreement carries particular strategic significance given the approaching LA 2028 Olympic cycle. With USATKD as the host national governing body and PATU chairing the Pan American LA 2028 Olympic Games Committee, the partnership positions all three organizations to play a meaningful role in shaping taekwondo's most high-profile global moment in years.

The MOU will run for an initial three-year term, with provisions for renewal, and will be overseen by a joint steering group drawn from senior leadership across the three organizations.