The World Taekwondo Federation appointed Miss Pongchanok Kanklab, the Miss Thailand World 2009, as a “Goodwill Ambassador” of the WTF in a ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand on Jan. 23, 2010.

For the WTF, it marked the second of its kind after the WTF’s appointment of Mr. Dave Mustaine, the leader of the U.S. legendary thrash metal bank Megadeth, as the WTF Goodwill Ambassador in Seoul, Korea on Oct. 27, 2007.

Miss Pongchanok, 19, was crowned the Miss Thailand World in 2009. She is a 2nd Kukkiwon Dan black-belt holder and served as a national taekwondo team member.

In the ceremony, WTF President Chungwon Choue delivered Miss Pongchanok a plaque of appointment and an honorary 3rd WTF Dan certificate.

The ceremony drew such dignitaries as Mr. Coleman C. Y. Lee, a WTF Council member from Chinese Taipei; Asst. Prof. Pimol Srivikorn, president of the Taekwondo Association of Thailand; Mr. Milan Kwee, president of the Singapore Taekwondo Federation; Mr. Chung Hae-Moon, Korean ambassador to Thailand.

For the participants in the ceremony, Miss Pongchanok performed a taekwondo demonstration, followed by a demonstration by members of the Thail taekwondo demonstration team.

“Thailand shows a very exemplary model among WTF member national associations in promoting taekwondo around the world and Thailand has produced good results at major international taekwondo competitons,” said WTF President Choue during the ceremony.

Dr. Choue said, “The appointment would greatly help upgrade the status of the WTF and taekwondo in the international sports community, and also expand the global taekwondo population.”

On Jan. 24, the Taekwondo Association of Thailand organized the 2010 Invitational Taekwondo Demonstration Competition at a large shopping center in downtown Bangkok, drawing a total of 11 demonstration teams from all over Thailand. [By WTF/NBC-1TV H. J Yook]