The highest rank in taekwondo was bestowed upon the Pope during a meeting in St Peter's Square in Vatican City.

Choue was accompanied by the Italian Taekwondo Federation (FITA) President Angelo Cito.

Joining them were See Jong-hyu Jeong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Holy See, and FITA Honorary President Young-gil Park.

The Pope, a sports fan who is known for his passion for the Argentinean football club San Lorenzo, thanked Choue.

Speaking after the meeting, Choue said: "It was a tremendous honour to meet a man who has such immense moral stature worldwide. 

"It was a great privilege to brief him on the sport of taekwondo, and on our humanitarian activities across the globe."

In October, at the first-ever Global Conference on Faith and Sport, the WTF demonstration team performed in front of the Pope at the Vatican.

The team also displayed their talents in Italian town Amatrice, which was devastated by an earthquake last August, killing nearly 300 people.

According to the WTF, the Pope expressed his interest in the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF).

The THF was established with the mission of "empowering the powerless".

It teaches taekwondo to refugees and displaced persons throughout the world.

Choue officially announced his plan to establish the THF in his speech at United Nations headquarters in New York City on the 2015 UN International Day of Peace.

Projects are also underway in the likes of Jordan as well as in Turkey, Rwanda and Nepal.