Jinbang Yang proposes “Smart Scoring” with AI to evolve PSS and recover powerful techniques

MASTKD ESPAÑOL

In an interview with MASTKD, Jin-bang Yang detailed the concept he presented to drive the next evolution of the Protector and Scoring System (PSS): integrating artificial intelligence applied to motion recognition so that the system no longer relies almost exclusively on contact and can identify techniques with greater precision.

“Today, everything goes through artificial intelligence,” he summarized, explaining the starting point of his vision.

Yang is one of the most influential institutional figures in South Korean Taekwondo. He currently chairs the Korea Taekwondo Association, has been a member of the World Taekwondo Executive Board for years, and was recently appointed to lead the WT Institutional Relations Committee.
In addition, he has developed an academic career as a professor at Yongin University.

“I want to overcome the limitations and problems of the current PSS by combining it with AI.”

The diagnosis: the problem is not the “front leg,” it is what the system rewards

Yang explained that the debate should not be limited to tactical labels. For him, the problem is that the system does not interpret the action: it responds to signals.

“Today, the PSS reacts to contact.”

He noted that this logic can end up rewarding low-impact actions because they are easy to score, while other techniques—more powerful and clear—do not receive the same recognition.

The proposal: from contact to understanding the technique

His proposal is based on a conceptual change: moving from contact to interpreting movement.

“With AI, you can detect movement.”

This would make possible to identify when a kick occurs, how it occurs, and what technique it is. In his approach, this classification is the key to ensuring that scoring no longer treats everything the same.

Differentiated criteria by technique: the heart of “Smart Scoring”

Once the AI distinguishes the technique, Yang proposes different criteria depending on the type of action.

“If AI recognizes the type of kick, we can assign different scoring criteria for each technique.”

In practical terms, his idea is that the system should not only reward “contact,” but also better recognize what competitive Taekwondo wants to value.

“We want to see more of this”: incentivizing what is valuable, discouraging what distorts

In the interview, Yang was direct about the impact this could have on fighting style.

“The techniques we want to see more often, we can make easier to score,”

“The techniques that are not ideal or do not contribute, we can make more difficult to score.”

In his view, this adjustment does not seek to “invent” an artificial Taekwondo, but rather to correct incentives that currently push sparring toward repetitive patterns.

Concrete example: back kick and the type of action that the PSS currently penalizes

To illustrate the problem, Yang mentioned a specific technique: the back kick.

“With the current system, the back kick is very difficult to score.”

He explained the sporting consequence: if the system recognizes and values it better, “athletes will use this type of technique more,” because the risk of a powerful action “not existing” on the scoreboard is reduced.

Existing technology: don’t rebuild everything from scratch, but apply motion AI

Yang distinguished between the best-known AI (language AI) and the AI needed for Taekwondo (motion AI).

“Most people think of language AI, but here we are talking about movement-based AI.”

He was also realistic about developing a proprietary system from scratch:

“Creating everything ourselves would be too difficult and a huge task; we have to use existing technology.”

He added a key point:

“This is advancing very quickly; every year it changes completely.”

Sensors yes, but increasingly simpler: a stepped transition

When asked about a future without sensors, Yang did not promise an immediate leap.

“We are going to use sensors for a while, until the AI is much smarter and fully adapted to Taekwondo.”

And he left a sentence to avoid misinterpretation:

“You can’t change everything overnight.”

His roadmap, he explained, is gradual: first, PSS + AI working together; then, over time, “AI will take on more and more of the functions currently performed by PSS” as it gains precision and reliability in real sparring.

The ultimate goal: more readable and more attractive Taekwondo

Yang insisted that the goal is not “technology for technology’s sake,” but rather its effect on the sport and the media.

“This way, we can orient the style of sparring toward what people like to see.”

For him, if the system understands the action—and not just the contact—the athlete feels greater fairness in the scoring, and the audience better understands why a point was awarded.

Although he avoided talking about immediate replacements, he placed his proposal within a planned transition: operational continuity in the short term and technological maturation towards the next Olympic cycle, with the current PSS as a reference framework for Los Angeles 2028 and a more in-depth implementation when the system is ready to take on a greater role in scoring.

MAS: Media About Sport.
TKD: Taekwondo.
MASTKD: Worldwide Leader on Taekwondo Information.

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Alex Siliezar

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