Kathmandu: Raju Chhetri has been appointed the vice president of the International Committee at the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Kukkiwon. He became the first foreigner and a Nepali to be appointed to the position.

Chhetri, an international taekwondo referee who hails from Nepal, was officially sworn in Friday at the Kukkiwon in Seoul, South Korea. Chhetri was sworn in by Taekwondo governing body World Taekwond’s president Lee Dong-Sup and former secretary general Man-Seok Choi. 

Taekwondo, recognised as the national game of South Korea, currently has 213 member countries under Kukkiwon, with approximately 126.2 million black belt members. 

Chhetri has been officiating the US Open Championships since 2023 along with some major international competitions including the G1-ranked Kimunyong Cup in Korea, the Japan Open in Osaka and the Seongnam Open held in Korea in 2023.

Chhetri, also former president of Non-Residential Nepali Association (NRNA) Korea chapter, was the gold medalist at the Korea Open World Ranking (G2) International Tournament in 2008. He was given honorary citizenship by the South Korean government in 2013 in recognition of his contributions in sports.