SEOUL-- Kim Un-yong, the late founder of the global taekwondo governing body, has been inducted into the newly created World Taekwondo (WT) Hall of Fame.

The WT honored the inaugural class of inductees during its General Assembly in Sofia on Monday (local time).

Kim, the first president of the WT and also a former vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), received the Lifetime Contribution Award, earning recognition for his "leadership in developing taekwondo's role with the IOC and securing Olympic recognition for the sport," according to the WT.

Taekwondo became an Olympic medal sport in 2000, with Kim, who founded the WT in 1973, playing an integral role.

Former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, also credited with supporting taekwondo's entry into the Olympic program, received the Lifetime Contribution Award, too.

The inaugural Hall of Fame class featured two other South Koreans: Lee Dai-soon in the "official" category for his contribution as a WT vice president and Jung Kook-hyun in the "athlete" category for being the first to win four consecutive world titles in taekwondo.

The WT Hall of Fame was created by the World Taekwondo Council at its meeting in Manchester, England, in May 2019, as a way of recognizing individuals who have helped the Korean martial art grow as an Olympic sport.

WT President Choue Chung-won said he was "proud" to have inducted the inaugural class into the hall.

"Throughout World Taekwondo's illustrious history, there have been many, many individuals that have helped shape our sport and organization," he said. "Today, we have honored some of these giants of taekwondo who have laid the foundations for us to reach new heights."

Source: Yonhap News Agency