SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (March 11, 2020) – The joint inauguration ceremony of five GCS national chapters took place near San Jose, Costa Rica on March 11, 2020.

The joint opening ceremony was held at the Palacio de los Deportes in Heredia near San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, with the attendance of Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of GCS International and World Taekwondo.

The five countries in which the GCS national chapters were newly inaugurated were Cost Rica, Argentina, Colombia, Haiti, and Puerto Rico.

Mr. Michel Idiaqez Baradat of Honduras and Mr. Victor Hugo Quishpe Morales of Ecuador were supposed to participate in the joint inauguration ceremony as their respective countries’ new GCS chapter presidents, but they could not make it. Three more Pan American countries of Venezuela, Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago expressed their willingness to shortly join the GCS Movement.

With 44 national chapters around the world, GCS International is a Seoul-based, U.N.-affiliated NGO, which was established in 1979. GCS stands for goodwill, cooperation and service-dedication. GCS has three major focuses: goodwill, cooperation and service-contribution. It strives to achieve the three by promoting a healthy society, better living, preservation of the nature, restoration of human dignity, and promotion of world peace.

The ceremony was held shortly after the conclusion of the first of the two-day Pan America Qualification Tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Among other dignitaries attending the joint ceremony were Grand Master Ji-ho Choi, WT vice president and president of WT Pan America; Korean Ambassador to Costa Rica Yoon Chan-shik, and WT Council members of In-sun Kim of the United States and Anthony Ferguson of Trinidad and Tobago.

The ceremony started with the GCS Bell ringing by GCS President Dr. Choue. GCS International Secretary General Dr. Seok-jae Kang then recited the GCS Charter, followed by the GCS membership pledge by Dr. Selma Li, president of the GCS Portland, U.S.A Chapter.

GCS President Dr. Choue delivered a GCS flag to Mr. Wilmar Alvarado Castillo, the new president of GCS Costa Rica Chapter, who also serves as president of the Costa Rica Taekwondo Federation. He took his oath of office in the presence of GCS President Choue. Dr. Choue then presented Mr. Castillo with the plaque of approval as the new president of GCS Costa Rica Chapter, together with a GCS badge and a membership card.

After that, Dr. Choue gave the plaque of approval to the other four GCS chapter presidents. On behalf of the new GCS chapter presidents, Mr. Castillo of Costa Rica gave his inauguration speech.

GCS President Dr. Choue said in his speech during the ceremony, “My special thanks go to each of the presidents of the five newly inaugurated GCS Pan America national chapters: Mr. Wilmar Alvarado Castillo of Costa Rica; Mr. Ricardo Torres of Argentina; Mr. Raul Pinzon Salamanca of Colombia;; Mr. Joseph Frenel Ostin of Haiti; and Mr. Elvin Landrau of Puerto Rico.”

“This is my third visit to Costa Rica, a country of peace and democracy.
My first visit was in 1981 to attend the 6th International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) Triennial Conference, together with my late father, Dr. Young Seek Choue, then president of the IAUP and GCS International.” “At the meeting, the U.N. International Day of Peace and Year of Peace were proposed, and the United Nations unanimously approved the International Day of Peace that year, with the full support of the Costa Rican government.”

Dr. Choue continued to say, “My second visit was in 2009 for the Costa Rica Open Taekwondo Championships. At the time, I met with the then president of Rodrigo Carazo Odio, the founder of the University for Peace, where I will visit tomorrow.”

“With the new inauguration of five GCS chapters, I believe that the GCS Movement and taekwondo will be further promoted in the Pan American region,” he said.

Dr. Choue said, “In 2016, GCS International signed an MOU with WT and the Lausanne-based Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, to help facilitate taekwondo-related humanitarian projects worldwide.” “In cooperation with the GCS Thailand Chapter, GCS International will organize the 2020 GCS International Convention in Chiang Mai, Thailand on November 13. I wish to cordially invite each of you to the beautiful tourist city.”