Muju County Confirmed as Host City for 'World Taekwondo Grand Prix'

Enhancing City Brand Value and Attracting Tourists Expected

Muju County in North Jeolla Province (Governor Hwang Inhong) announced on the 12th that it has been officially selected as the host city for the '2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix' and the '2027 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge'.

Exterior view of Muju County Office. Provided by Muju County

This follows the '2025 World Taekwondo Diamond Game', scheduled to be held for three days starting July 11, and the '2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge', which will take place for three days from August 29. The regular hosting of international competitions organized by World Taekwondo in Muju further solidifies Muju's reputation as the sacred ground of Taekwondo, making this selection particularly significant.

The county expects not only a positive ripple effect on the local economy from hosting these events, but also indirect benefits such as enhancing the city's brand value as the home of Taekwondo, attracting more tourists, and bringing in additional competitions and training camps.

On May 9, at the site of the ongoing '2025 World Cadet Championships' in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Choi Jeil, Deputy Governor of Muju County, personally delivered a presentation to promote Muju's bid to host the competitions.

Choi Jeil, Deputy Governor of Muju County, emphasized that "Muju is recognized as the sacred ground of Taekwondo, annually hosting numerous world-class competitions based on Taekwondowon, a dedicated Taekwondo stadium." He added, "As everyone agreed, we will do our utmost to perfectly host the 2026 and 2027 competitions, leveraging the pride of Taekwondo's home country, Muju's capabilities as Taekwondo City, and the beautiful, pristine natural environment of Muju, the Special Nature City."

He continued, "We will also ensure the successful hosting of this year's scheduled World Taekwondo Diamond Game and World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge, living up to the expectations of the global Taekwondo community that has once again given Muju this opportunity."

Immediately after the announcement of Muju as the host city, the county signed a hosting agreement with World Taekwondo (President Cho Jungwon), the Korea Taekwondo Association (President Yang Jinbang), and the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation (Chairman Kim Junghun).

The agreement specifies that Muju County will serve as the host location, outlines the formation of an organizing committee, details the competition's operational methods and procedures, and clarifies the roles of each institution. Muju County and the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation will jointly lead the organizing committee. In addition, they will provide support for securing the budget and ensuring safety to guarantee the successful hosting of the events.

The 2026-2027 World Taekwondo Grand Prix competitions to be held in the county will be organized by World Taekwondo, with Muju County, the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation, and the Korea Taekwondo Association serving as joint organizers.