South Korea Wins 14th Consecutive Overall Title at World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships... Lees and Byun Named MVPs

South Korea has defended its pride as the birthplace of taekwondo by securing its 14th consecutive overall title at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

South Korea finished the 2026 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, which concluded today (September 20) at the Songam Sports Town Air Dome in Chuncheon, Gangwon State, with 20 gold, 4 silver, and 5 bronze medals.

With this victory, South Korea has achieved overall victory in all 14 editions of the tournament, starting from the inaugural event held in Seoul in 2006 up to this year.

This year, the country notably claimed the top spot in nearly half of the 42 total medal events, with 20 gold medals.

This put South Korea far ahead of second-place Thailand, which secured 3 gold medals.

The United States placed third overall with 2 gold, 5 silver, and 10 bronze medals.

South Korea also swept the individual awards.

Lee Dong-jun (Kyung Hee University), who won the under-30 individual event, was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the men's recognized poomsae division.

The women's MVP went to Lee Ju-young (Korea National Sport University), who achieved her fourth consecutive world championship victory.

Byun Jae-young (Seongho High School), who claimed his second consecutive title in the under-17 individual event, was selected as the MVP in the men's freestyle poomsae division.

Only the women's freestyle MVP went to Lin Si-tung of China.

Lee Ju-young and Byun Jae-young were selected as MVPs for two consecutive tournaments, following the 2024 Hong Kong Championships.

The next tournament will be held in Antalya, Turkey, in 2028.

(Photo provided by World Taekwondo, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.