The most recent round of talks have been reported on the WTF website:

http://www.wtf.org/site/news/wtf.htm?realnum=183&page=1&keyword=&part=&mode=view

I have seen the WTF also report on the others as well.

Wow, it looks like they are finally getting the ball rolling. So are they trying to come up with a new set of patterns and sparring rules for this new joint organization they are trying to create from the merger of these 2 bodies?

I've got to say, that if I actually cared about this, I would be impressed but. But hearing all the squable and debating that has gone on in this forum and over forums over the who's who of TKD and who owns the ights to this, who created that. This all just seems like a bunch of crap to me. Now I don't look down on anyone who find this interesting or anyone who supports this merger, after all it can bring some glimmer of hope to the people of North and South Korea to have find some sort of common ground, I'm all for it. But as far as having a regulating body over an art, well that just seems stupid to me. I find any organization even non profit ones always having to do with profit. Either they want cash or some sort of recognition for something. Why should the future of TKD be left in the hands of these 2 Giant bodies, why not leave it in the hands of the individual practitioners, those of us who do practice the art. not a bunch of guys in suits who probably no longer practice the art. I mean its like small school owner who all of a suddenwants to build a franchise, their school grows, he needs more space, more money comes rolling in, buys another school, soon the once excellent and wonderful teacher is now a business man, spending more time in the back room thinking of marketing schemes rather than spending time on the floor educating his students and sharing his passions as a result studying TKD.

Good points. However, this is just about seeing if they can come to some agreement on having both ITF & WTF compete in the Olympics. As you know, the WTF governs Olympic TKD. To date, the only way an ITF player can compete, is to get a WTF BB cert, follow the WTF rules/format, then compete & win a place on the team. This is just an attempt to make it more of a mix, allowing easier access for the ITF players.
I doubt we will really see any progress anytime soon.

Why can't they just have both styles, like wrestling has two Olympic styles?

This may be going off topic somewhat, but it is related. It appears the USTF in the USA is allowing their members to affilaite to the ITF-V. The USTF will still exist, however, access to international certification & events will now be possible through the ITF-V.

Hi all, I would love to see a merge, you would see from day 1 an emergence of mutual respect for ITF and WTF especially from ea. other. And I support allowing punches in sparing it would dispel a lot of myths that WTFs can"t punch(box) ext. Taekwondo needs to merge to dispel the ignorance and deception that is out there mostly with its own practitioners regaurding the differences between ITF-WTF

I think it would be cool to get the best of both worlds. However, if they merge, i hope all of the forms and trditional aspects are preserved.