Kukkiwon Dispatch Masters: Master Kim Kitae
Building Taekwondo in Timor Leste

 

From training police special forces and teaching schoolchildren to coaching an athlete at the Olympic Games: Master Kim Kitae has been helping develop Taekwondo in Timor Leste since 2021. His work has brought international success, but also challenges that go far beyond the training hall.

Becoming a Kukkiwon Dispatch Master was a goal Kim pursued with determination. After five applications, he was finally accepted in 2021 and moved to Timor Leste, a country where Taekwondo still had considerable room for development.

Today, he coaches the national team, trains police special forces and introduces children to Taekwondo. Many clubs still lack proper training facilities, but the sport has nevertheless established a strong presence.

His greatest sporting milestone came in 2024, when Ana da Costa da Silva Pinto Belo became the first Taekwondo athlete from Timor Leste to compete at the Olympic Games. Another success followed at the 2025 CPLP Games, where all four junior athletes coached by Kim won medals.

“When the national team athletes I coach compete internationally and win medals, I feel as if all the difficult times we have gone through are being rewarded.”

Yet Kim’s story is not only about medals. Working in another country also means overcoming cultural barriers, building trust and developing relationships. Looking ahead, he hopes to create more opportunities for local instructors to gain international experience and strengthen Taekwondo in Timor Leste.

Read more about Master Kim Kitae’s journey from Korea to Timor Leste, the historic achievements of his athletes, the challenges of working abroad and his vision for developing the next generation of local instructors in the current issue of Taekwondo Aktuell:

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