Seok Jae Kang, who was the senior director of the member relations and development department, will be now working as the head of the President’s office and assist Chungwon Choue in his work.

Former President’s office director Jeongkang Seo will now work for a newly-created event department, while Corbin Min, who was senior director of the legal department, will now work for both the legal department and member relations and development department which have been combined together.

The event department will aim to support the smooth operation of competitions and programmes for empowering refugees through taekwondo, such as the World Taekwondo Cares Programme and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation.

Following the announcement, Choue called on staff to make sure they prepare a successful World Taekwondo Championships this year.

The 2017 edition of the flagship event is due to take place from June 24 to 30 in Muju County in South Korea.

Further personnel changes in the Seoul office will be made in the month following the event, according to Choue.  

Prior to the 2017 World Championships, a WTF Council meeting is due to take place on June 22, followed by a WTF General Assembly on June 23.

Organisers expect more than 160 nations and 2,000 athletes to participate at the event.

It will be the seventh time South Korea has played host and the first since the 2011 Championships in Gyeongju.

It is estimated that the event will bring an economic value of 20 billion won (£14 million/$17 million/€16 million) to the region.

The previous biggest international sports event Muju had hosted was the Winter Universiade in 1997.

In August 2015, it staged the second edition of the World Cadet Taekwondo Championships.