A New Path as a Poomsae Referee
In 2012, after returning to Korea for the first time in 17 years, I participated in a poomsae referee training course at Kukkiwon in March 2013. On the last day of the training, I heard someone calling my name from behind the training hall. By coincidence, another trainee sitting next to me had the exact same name. After checking our birthdates, the person looking for me turned out to be the Chairman of the Poomsae Referee Committee of the Korea University Taekwondo Federation. He cautiously made me an offer:
“Would you be interested in becoming a poomsae referee?”
Thus began my journey as a referee, starting with the national competition held in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province.
After being appointed as a government-dispatched instructor by Kukkiwon, my activities expanded beyond Korea to international tournaments.
I served as a poomsae referee at major events such as the World Taekwondo Hanmadang held in Pyeongtaek in 2015 and Anyang in 2017, and the Asian Taekwondo Hanmadang in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2019.
My journey as a poomsae referee has meant more to me than just making judgments.
It was a process of looking again at poomsae — which I thought I knew well after years of practice — from a referee’s perspective, refining and relearning it.
To this day, I humbly continue that process.
Korea University Taekwondo Federation (2023-2024)
World Taekwondo Hanmadang
🌍 Carrying the Responsibility of an International Referee at the World Taekwondo Hanmadang Master Kim participated as an international poomsae referee at the World Taekwondo Hanmadang held at the Lee Chung Culture & Sports Center in Pyeongtaek in 2015 and the Anyang Indoor Gymnasium in 2017.
Together with Taekwondo practitioners from around the world, he fulfilled his responsibility as a fair referee, reaffirming and sharing the global stature and depth of Taekwondo techniques.
Asian Taekwondo Hanmadang
Participation as an International Referee at the Asian Taekwondo Hanmadang
In 2019, Master Kim was officially invited to participate as an international referee at the Asian Taekwondo Hanmadang held in Indonesia.
This five-day event was not only an opportunity for refereeing but also a meaningful time to connect with Taekwondo leaders from various countries, expanding the network for the development of Taekwondo worldwide.
