Letter to Mr. Bos about Slovak Taekwon-Do Association ITF

To: Mr. Bos and AETF Member Countries

Dear Mr. Bos,

I was pleased to learn that you have already found the contact addresses of our Slovak Taekwon-Do Association. It was a disadvantage for you not to have the addresses when the Congress had been organized in Germany. Otherwise we cannot account for the fact that you had not included our Association in the Congress, although you had been one of the initiators of the Congress.

We understood that you had had no contact addresses of STA from our discussion with the official of Taekwon-Do in Poland. During the 2nd annual set of “Memoriál Jána Zátrocha” /TKD ITF competition/ in Banská Bystrica, the Slovak Republic, he mentioned the outcome of the Congress held in Germany during friendly conversation. We received an assurance from him that it is for our good to follow Mr. Bos, Mr. MacCallum and Mr. MacLellan.
Our Polish friend answered the question why nobody invited us to the Congress in Germany as follows: “Mr. Bos had had no contact address of your Association”.

After the Competition was over our Polish friend also informed us that he would deliver Mr. Bos the STA contact addresses, and he himself will contact us! You failed to do so.
Once more, thank you. It was really kind to finally hear from you!

Dear Masters, Presidents, Instructors, Team Leaders, Referees, Coaches, Competitors,

Mr. Bos has left ITF for several times and joined it again.
I had had no opportunity to see Mr. Bos during the Commemorate in Pyongyang, September 2002.
He even had not sat in the special Congress.

Our STA had been the member of the Greece A.E.T.F. with President Stilianidis at the head by the European Championship in Trebon, the Czech Republic. We paid Mrs. Sutherland membership charges of USD 200 on behalf of the A.E.T.F. during the Championship in Trebon. There was no reason for the STA to reregister to the A.E.T.F. or to register to “a different A.E.T.F.”, no matter whether a valid or an illegal one.

Nobody has expelled our Association from the A.E.T.F. after the European Championship in Trebon was over. We don’t understand why Mr. Bos, Mr. Coos v/d Heuvel, Mrs. Sutherland and Mr. Weiler act this way, because in case they were not satisfied with the activities of the A.E.T.F., or with Mr. Stilianidis, they surely, as the members of this organisation, could work within the Organisation rather than creating a different group or a different organisation. What use and whom are the new application forms for? If these persons failed to achieve their “present – dreamed out” positions within the A.E.T.F. in the dialogue with Mr. Stilianidis, then the Taekwon-Do people are wicked and dishonest. Their arguments were ineffective or they themselves were incompetent, as the members wishing the homogenous organisation would continue in development. These people had chosen the unfaithful way of a dissension instead of a combat. Their activity has nothing in common with development of the Taekwon-Do ITF. This demonstrates their destructive policy in the A.E.T.F. that Mr. Bos, the would-be President of the A.E.T.F., proved in his letter mailed to Slovakia, and addressed to the Mayor of Košice and to the Olympic Committee.

This group of the “split-off” persons smears reputation both of the ITF and A.E.T.F., and doesn’t even respect basic ethical rules.

Should Mr. Bos had had a professional approach to the matter, he would verbalise in a frankly manner and discuss the matter with us a little bit. But his nervous speech, the form of the letter addressed to the STA, Košice City and the Olympic Committee of the Slovak Republic bears witness against his democratic principles and professionalism level.
I assure all members of the ITF and A.E.T.F. that Mr. Bos and his friends will not prevent the European Championship from being organized in Košice according to the official invitation that you have received.

The STA will organize the European Championship in Košice on the grounds of granted commission to the A.E.T.F. in Greece with President Stilianidis at the head. The STA has been the member of this organisation. The STA has not been the member of “Mr. Bos’s little group”; therefore we take cognizance of his letter, but Mr. Bos has no right to command us because we don’t belong to the A.E.T.F. with Mr. Bos at the head.

We fully support the A.E.T.F. in Greece with President Stilianidis at the head. Indeed, we are in favour of enhancing the activities of the A.E.T.F., but we do not agree with the dissension brought to the A.E.T.F. by Mr. Bos, Mr. Coos v/d Heuvel, Mr. Weiler and Mrs. Sutherland.

The ITF with President Chang Ung is located in Vienna, therefore there are no reasons known to us why the letter addressed to the STA, Košice City and the Olympic Committee of the Slovak Republic had not been mailed to the attention of Chang Ung, President of ITF, but to Mr. Tom MacCallum instead. It is not clear for us what type of A.E.T.F. Mr. Bos would like to represent, since in the letter he presents himself as the President of the A.E.T.F. affiliated to the ITF and has not mailed it to the attention of the President of the ITF. Mr. Tom MacCallum has not been an official in the ITF because he has been expelled from this Institution. Mr. Bos, Mr. Weiler, Mr. Coos v/d Heuvel and Mrs. Sutherland have also been expelled from the ITF. The question is what does the A.E.T.F. with Mr. Bos at the head acknowledge to, and what is the reason for writing letters in which he prevents us, the members of the different Institution, from our activity and why does he discredits our reputation? There is only one A.E.T.F. – located in Greece – with President Stilianidis at the head. The ITF in Vienna with President Chang Ung also respects this Association.

With regard to the Taekwon-Do, a martial art, a sport discipline and nowadays partially the Olympic sport discipline, it is necessary to realise that there is only one Taekwon-Do, and General Choi Hong Hi is the Founder and the Father of it. General Choi Hong Hi, Father of Taekwon-Do, asked all of us in his Testament that Mr. Chang Ung would be voted to take the position of his successor. Therefore it is impossible that the General Choi Hong Hi´s Testament, (it even takes precedence over the Law in the Slovak Republic) is otherwise interpreted or non-respected. A non-respectful attitude towards the Testament causes a serious crime. It is not normal that some people, with Mr. Bos among them, do not respect the General Choi Hong Hi´s Testament, the General whom he also treated with respect while he lived. Where has the respect of Mr. Tom MacCallum, Mr. MacLellan, W. J. Bos, Mr. Weiler, Mr. Coos v/d Heuvell and Mrs. Sutherland, with which they treated General Choi Hong Hi, Taekwon-Do, the ITF and the members, disappeared? And why are they not willing to respect the General Choi Hong Hi’s Testament?

Have they forgotten that General Choi Hong Hi had really been our Father? The unique proof of respecting decedent General Choi Hong Hi is given through honouring the Testament. The people who do not understand such moral and ethic aspect of the Testament should not have a place among the members of the Taekwon-Do, and we think that expelling these people from the ITF has been legitimate. We don not want to irritate Mr. Tom MacCallum’s consciences, but this gentleman has already acted destructively in the ITF since 2001. I myself along with the representatives of our Institute were invited for negotiations with General Choi Hong Hi to the hotel room in Rimini in the same year during the World Championship of Taekwon-Do ITF.

Choi Jung Hwa, the General’s son, ITF Vice-president Pak Si Ung and Tom MacCallum, the General Secretary of the ITF, also took part of the negotiations. The actual situation in the Taekwon-Do in Slovakia had been subject of the discussion. Mr. MacCallum interpreted false data on the Taekwon-Do Association in Slovakia directly before General Choi Hong Hi at the beginning of the negotiations. Afterwards I stopped him, so the conversation had been conducted directly between General Choi Hong His and the representatives of the Slovak Taekwon-Do ITF. After the conversation had been over, General Choi Hong Hi decided to visit our STA in Slovakia.

General Choi Hong Hi could face-to-face make himself certain of the fact that Mr. Tom MacCallun presented false information in Rimini. General Choi Hong Hi himself came to inspect the situation in Slovakia, but Mr. Tom MacCallum had not dropped in and inspected the situation in Slovakia for himself. He had not done so even though the Slovak Taekwon-Do Association had invited him for several times to visit Slovakia. Today it is clear that Mr. Tom MacCallum created his own policy in the ITF that results in the dissension, or disorientation within the ITF.

Due to the mentioned facts neither myself nor our Association, in which we discussed about the situation in the ITF on the General Assembly of the STA on March 1 to 3, 2003, will not follow Mr. Bos, Mr. Weiler, Mr. Coos v/d Heuvel and Mr. Sutherland. We shall also not support the Organisation with Mr. Tom MacCallum and Russell MacLellan as officials or members!

We very much regret that the European Championship in Croatia and that in Poland has been brought under the influence of the people who do not respect the General Choi Hong Hi’s Testament, and our Association will not take part in these Championships! The STA fully supports the ITF in Vienna with President Chang Ung at the head!
The STA fully supports the A.E.T.F. in Greece with President Stilianidis at the head!

We shouldn’t forget the Taekwon-Do is the Korean martial art! Development of the Taekwon-Do without Korean Masters is unimaginable for us! The STA members consider themselves as the General Choi Hong Hi’s disciples; therefore we respect the Testament of General Choi Hong Hi.

Our members consider the Taekwon-Do as a martial art and a sport discipline – we believe the Olympic one.
Our members wish to achieve advanced technical levels, to understand philosophy of the Taekwon-Do too, and to apply it in everyday life. Our members do not long for positions and salaries.
Only weak and wicked persons leave away!

At the conclusion we take the liberty of expressing the conviction that all faithful disciples of General Choi Hong Hi, our Father and the Teacher, will participate in the European Championship of the Taekwon-Do ITF in Košice, the Slovak Republic, and we welcome all of you to the event.

On behalf of homogenous and solid ITF and AETF.

Best regards

Taekwon-Do

Ivan Kovanda
President of STA TKD ITF