OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL REPORT FOR UNESCO &THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY

SUBMITTED BY: The International Mindung Ssireum Federation (IMSF)

CORPORATE REGISTRY &ACADEMIC VETTING: Academic Committee of the World Subak Federation (WSF, Registered Corporate Entity, Wyoming, USA)

COMPLIANCE FRAMEWORK: UN SDG 11.4 (Safeguarding the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage) &UN Publishers Compact

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: THE NORTHERN PARADIGM AND TOOL-LESS COMBAT ARCHETYPE

This official report is formally submitted to UNESCO and international cultural heritage institutions to provide an essential ethnographical correction and geopolitical realignment regarding the 2018 inscribed Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: Traditional Korean Wrestling (Ssireum/Ssirum).

The IMSF explicitly clarifies that the 2018 joint inter-Korean UNESCO inscription protects the entire holistic cultural ecosystem of traditional grappling as a shared asset of humanity, rather than a singular contemporary sports rulebook.

Currently, domestic governance within the Korean peninsula is heavily monopolized by mainstream domestic sports associations that focus exclusively on Oen-Ssireum (left-sided wrestling)—a highly codified Southern regional style historically and academically rooted in Gyeongsang Province that relies entirely on a sand-pit and the Satba (fabric thigh-and-waist band).

To ensure cultural diversity and prevent the extinction of ancient combat sciences, the IMSF—operating as an independent international NGO headquartered in Wyoming, USA—hereby establishes the global framework for the “Northern and Central Paradigm” (Mindung Ssireum). Centered on the raw physical cultures of Hamgyong Province, Kaesong, and Hwanghae Province, Mindung Ssireum represents the pure, tool-less archetype of wrestling that chronologically predates the introduction of fabric-dependent gripping gear.

I. HISTORICAL &ETHNOGRAPHICAL LINEAGE (THE 2016 YANBIAN FOUNDATION)

The institutional authority of the IMSF is not a modern commercial fabrication; it is anchored in a critical academic milestone achieved a decade ago. In 2016, a historic joint academic symposium was co-hosted with the Department of Physical Education at Yanbian University, China. This rigorous scientific initiative resulted in the successful field excavation and mechanical documentation of “Sokswae” (an ancient traditional wrestling variant of North Hamgyong Province) and uncodified beltless grappling systems (Mindung Ssireum).

For the past ten years, this lineage was meticulously analyzed, archived, and peer-reviewed within research societies in South Korea. In 2026, to facilitate rapid global safeguarding and bypass localized bureaucratic red tape, the entire historical repository was elevated and unified under the IMSF international charter in Wyoming, USA, creating a direct, independent bridge to the international community.

II. INSTITUTIONAL GOVERNANCE: STRATEGIC DUAL-TRACK SYSTEM

The global dissemination of this northern warrior heritage operates under a sophisticated, peer-reviewed bilateral structure managed from our physical and philosophical headquarters:

[ WSF USA ACADEMIC ARCHIVES (Wyoming, USA) ]

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[ World Subak Federation (WSF) ] [ Int’l Mindung Ssireum Federation (IMSF) ]

– Core Focus: Striking Arts & Ancient Biomechanics – Core Focus: Folk Grappling & Beltless Archetype

– Role: Academic Peer-Review Firewall – Role: 2026 World Championship & Global NGO Expansion

– Media Pipeline: United Nations Publishers Compact – Branding: Direct UNESCO Representative List Alignment

While the WSF USA serves as the ultimate scholarly authority, the IMSF functions as the sovereign executive vehicle. By separating the uncodified grappling mechanics into the IMSF, the federation directly aligns with UNESCO’s mandate for living human assets, establishing absolute peer-level sovereignty with domestic sports bodies.

III. THE GLOBAL MANDATE AND THE 2026 INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE

The IMSF does not operate within localized or isolationist parameters. To transition this living heritage onto the global frontline, the IMSF has officially enacted its global charter for the 2026 World Mindung Ssireum Championship (Remote Video Submission Track).

By eliminating commercial barriers through a 100% administrative and registration fee waiver for the 2026 fiscal year, the IMSF is establishing a massive, un-bureaucratic global infrastructure. International martial arts masters who field elite practitioners during this window are automatically indexed into the Master Registry of the Korean Cultural Journal (Official Signatory of the UN Publishers Compact) as “Global Founding Committee Members.”

CONCLUSION: A CALL FOR DIRECT INTERNATIONAL ECOSYSTEM RECOGNITION

The International Mindung Ssireum Federation (IMSF) urges UNESCO, the UN Publishers Compact network, and the global TVET/sports governance community to recognize this dual-pillar reality of traditional wrestling.

The Southern style (governed by domestic associations) remains a localized, clothing-dependent sport tailored for domestic entertainment. The Northern and Central Archetype (governed internationally by the IMSF across the Hamgyong, Kaesong, and Hwanghae lineages) represents the universal, tool-less combat science of humanity. The IMSF will continue to independently issue international credentials, establish cross-border structural immunity, and exercise exclusive territorial authority to ensure this ancient warrior archetype thrives globally.