This list of taekwondo grandmasters includes notable persons who have been recognized as grandmasters of the Korean martial art of taekwondo. There is no single, universally-recognized set of criteria to define a taekwondo grandmaster; different organizations and different styles have their own rules. Those listed below are grouped by system: Kukkiwon (widely known as the World Taekwondo Headquarters), International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), and other systems (which includes some persons receiving ranks from taekwondo organizations that predate the other two systems, e.g., the original Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA)) and United Taekwondo Association UWTA. World Alliance Taekwon-do Federation GM Francesc Campanya
This list includes persons who:
Name | Rank | Life | Residence | Prominence | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hong Sung-chon | 9th dan | 1945– | Philippines | Kukkiwon Chairman of the Board (2016–). CEO and Chief Instructor of the Philippine Taekwondo Association (1975–) | [1] |
Ahn, Kyongwon | 9th dan | 1937– | United States of America | Founded United Taekwondo Association; former president of the United States Taekwondo Union | See main article |
Choi, Tae-hong | 9th dan | 1935–2009 | United States of America | Founded first taekwondo school in Oregon, United States; former vice-president of the United States Taekwondo Union | See main article |
Chung, Sun-hwan | 9th dan | 1940– | United States of America | Founder of Moo Sool Do and President of World Academy of Martial Arts Association. Korean National Champion (1963–1965). Kukkiwon Advisory Council (2008). Hall of Fame - U.S. Taekwondo Grandmasters Society. Former President, U.S.T.U. Michigan Tae Kwon Do Association. | [2] [3] [4] |
Kim, Ki-whang | 10th dan | 1920–1993 | United States of America | Promoted to 9th dan by the KTA, Chairman of the US Olympic Taekwondo team 1988, awarded 10th dan while in hospital with cancer in 1993. Inducted into Taekwondo Hall of Fame 2009. | See main article |
Samer Kamal | 9th dan | 1966– | Canada | President of the Arab Canadian Sports Association, 1988 Seoul Olympics medalist, 1st Class International referee since 1999, 1st Class Kukkiwon Examiner, the President of Champions Martial Arts Taekwondo in Canada and Jordan | www.SamerKamal.info |
Sell, Edward B | 10th dan | 1942–2014 | United States of America | Highest ranked non-Asian Taekwondo black belt in the world. Only non-Korean honored at the Taekwondo Park in Seoul, Korea. Founder of the United States Chung Do Kwan Association. | [5] [6] |
Paik, Sang-kee | 9th dan | 1929–2009 | United States of America | Early student of B. I. Yoon and first Black Belt of Grand Master Ki Whang Kim; created Sa-Sang Kwan system. Inducted into Taekwondo Hall of Fame 2013 | See main article |
Park, Dong-keun | 9th dan | c. 1941– | United States of America | Father of Thai taekwondo; Head Coach of US Olympic taekwondo team in 1988 and 1992 | See main article |
Park, Young-Ghil | 10th dan | 1941– 2024 | Italy | One of Founders of Italian Taekwondo (three Park Brothers - Sun-jae Park, Young-Ghil Park, Chung-un Park); Honorary President of FITA - Italian Taekwondo Federation 2016 - 2024; Technical Director of WTF Poomsae Committee 2018 | [7] [8] [9] [10] |
Lee, Hyeon-kon | 9th dan | c. 1947– | United States of America | Chairman of Board of Education of Kukkiwon; former Vice Chairman of Education of the WTF; author of taekwondo textbook. Uses Western and Eastern Medicine concurrently with great success. Became an M.D. in 2000. Published medical scientist in over 10 journals and one book. Life dedicated to helping the sick return to health. | [11] [12] [13] |
Cho, Byung-kon | 9th dan | 1947– | United States of America | Student of Grand Master Pong-ki Kim and Grand Master Kop-soo Kwon
| [14] [15] TaeKwonDo Times Magazine Issue March 1991 |
Sell, Brenda Jean (Brenda Sell) | 9th dan | January 1955– | Lakeland, Florida (USA) |
| See Wikipedia page for all sources |
Wyllie, Gregory | 9th dan | c. 1955 – | Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) | Introduced Taekwondo into the New South Wales school system, initiated the All Schools tournament which has been a great success. Runs the Wyllie Strike Taekwondo academy, which includes his sons Steve and Chris. He is the highest ranked orator in Australia and became a ninth dan in April 2016. [16] |
This list includes persons who:
Name | Rank | Life | Residence | Prominence | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kim, Jong-Chan | 9th dan | 1936- | Canada | Grandmaster Jong Chan Kim (JC Kim) was born in 1936. | |
Choi, Chang-keun | 9th dan | c. 1940– | Canada | Leading campaign to reunite the ITF; one of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Choi, Hong-hi | 9th dan | 1918–2002 | Canada | Played major role in establishing Taekwon-Do in 1955; Founder of International Taekwon-Do Federation-ITF in 1966, inaugural president of the KTA; co-led the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Choi, Jung-hwa | 9th dan | 1951- | Canada | President of one of the three ITF organisations; son of H. H. Choi | [18] [19] [20] [21] |
Howard, Robert | 9th dan | c. 1938– | Ireland | President of the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association; helped establish taekwondo in Ireland; first European man promoted to 9th dan | [22] [23] [24] [25] |
Kong, Young-il | 9th dan | 1943– | United States of America | One of the few promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi; one of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Nam, Tae Hi | 9th dan | 1929–2013 | United States of America | Father of Vietnamese taekwondo; pivotal performance in martial arts demonstration 1954; co-led the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Nguyen, Van Binh | 9th dan | 1936– | United States of America | Chairman of ITF Masters Promotion Committee; President of ITF-USA; pioneer of taekwondo in Vietnam | [26] [27] [28] |
Park, Jong-soo | 9th dan | 1941–2021 | Canada | One of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Rhee, Ki-ha | 9th dan | 1938– | United Kingdom | Father of British and Irish taekwondo; one of the few promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi; one of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Sereff, Charles | 9th dan | 1933–2022 | United States of America | One of the few promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi; founded the United States Taekwon-Do Federation | [29] [30] [31] |
Trajtenberg, Pablo | 9th dan | c. 1955–2022 | Argentina | President of one of the three ITF organisations after T. Q. Tran's death in 2010 | [32] [33] [34] [35] |
Tran, Trieu Quan | 9th dan | 1952–2010 | Canada | President of one of the three ITF organisations from 2003 to 2010 | See main article |
This list includes persons who:
Name | Rank | Life | Residence | Prominence | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cho, Hee-il | 9th dan | 1940- | United States of America | Founded Action International Martial Arts Association; wrote several taekwondo books | See main article |
Cho, Sihak Henry | 9th dan | 1934–2012 | United States of America | Pioneer of taekwondo in the United States of America; wrote several books; contributed karate article in World Book Encyclopedia (1976) | See main article |
Choi, Kwang-jo | 9th dan | 1942– | United States of America | Founded Choi Kwang-Do; one of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Han, Cha-kyo | 9th dan | 1934–1996 | United States of America | One of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Hwang, Kwang-sung | 9th dan | c. 1942– | United States of America | One of the few promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi | [31] [36] |
Hwang, Jang-lee | 9th dan | 1944– | Korea | Hwang took Taekwondo lessons from age 14 and achieved his 7th dan (rank) black belt. In 1965 at age 21, Hwang became a martial arts instructor for the Korean and South Vietnamese Armies, specializing in taekwondo. In January 2003, Hwang received his 9th dan black belt in taekwondo. In addition, he currently holds a 9th dan rank with the World Tang Soo Do General Federation. Hwang still actively teaches martial arts. He is currently an instructor with the World Tang Soo Do General Federation and serves as Technical Advisor. He recently has completed a tour of the US and Canada in which he, along with other Korean Grandmasters, promoted the study and practice of traditional martial arts. | See main article |
Kim, Bok man | 11th Dan founder Rank as Founder Of World Chun Kuhn Taekwon-Do Federation-WCTF. 10th Dan in Traditional Taekwon-Do, Founding Member of ITF | c. 1934–2021 | USA | Kim Bok-man (Korean: 김복만; Hanja: 金福萬,[1] (3 December 1934 – 14 August 2021), Father of South East Asia Taekwon-Do was an early pioneer of taekwondo in the 1950s and 1960s in South East Asia, particularly Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak and Hong Kong. He started martial arts training in the Korean art of taekyun in 1941 at the age of 7. While he was a Sergeant Major in the South Korean army, he was called to Malaysia by General Choi Hong-hi Korea's ambassador, Founder of Taekwon-Do, to teach taekwondo in Malaysia and subsequently to develop taekwondo, particularly some of the forms created by General Choi, and another martial art called Chun Kuhn taekwondo. | See main article |
Kim, Pyung-soo | 10th dan | 1939– | United States of America | One of only two students that tested and promoted to 5th Dan at the first Korean Tae Soo Do Association exam in 1962. First correspondent from South Korea to Black Belt Magazine(1964–68). Founder of The International Chayon-Ryu Martial Arts Association. Author of three Taekwondo Books (Ohara Publications): Palgue 1-2-3 of Taekwondo Hyung, Palgue 4-5-6 of Taekwondo Hyung, Palgue 7-8 of Taekwondo Hyung, and one Taekwondo book published in Russia. | See main article |
Lee, Haeng-ung | 10th dan | 20 July 1936 – 5 October 2000 | United States of America | Founded American Taekwondo Association; first grandmaster of the ATA; author of The Way of Traditional Taekwondo | [37] |
Park, Jung-tae | 9th dan | c. 1943–2002 | Canada | One of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Rhee, Chong-chul | 9th dan | c. 1935–2023 | Australia | Considered as the Father of Australian taekwondo; founded Rhee Taekwon-Do; one of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Rhee, Jhoon-goo | 10th dan | 1932–2018 | United States of America | Father of American taekwondo | [ citation needed ] |
Vega, Orlando | 9th dan International Taekwon-Do Federation | 1952- | United States/Puerto Rico | He began learning Kempo Karate with Sensei Felix Vega from New York. He studied under Sensei Vega for two years. | |
Yun Dukan | 9th dan | 1942- | United States of America | Taekwondo Pioneer and Taekwondo Grandmaster originally from the Moo Duk Kwan. Yun Dukan, with the encouragement of Choi Hong Hi, began instructing Taekwon-Do in the United States of America in 1968. | See main article |
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques. "Taekwondo" can be translated as tae, kwon, and do. In addition to its five tenets of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit, the sport requires three physical skills: poomsae (품새), kyorugi (겨루기) and gyeokpa (격파).
Choi Hong-hi was a South Korean Army general, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to his introduction of taekwondo to North Korea.
Choi Kwang-jo is a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo, and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1970. Choi is the founder and head of the Choi Kwang Do international martial art organization, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Kukkiwon, also known as World Taekwondo Headquarters, and home of the World Taekwondo Academy, is where the official taekwondo governing organization was established by the South Korean government. It is supervised by the International Sports Division of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
Rhee Taekwon-Do, also known as Rhee Tae Kwon-Do, Rhee Tae Kwon Do, or Rhee Taekwondo,[a] is a martial art school in Australia[b] teaching the Korean martial art of taekwondo. Its full name is "Rhee International Taekwon-Do (Australia)". Chong Chul Rhee, one of the original masters of taekwondo, founded the school in the mid-1960s. Two of Rhee's brothers, Chong Hyup Rhee and Chong Yoon Rhee, later came to assist him in the 1970s.
Korea Taekwondo Association, originally the Korea Tang Soo Do Association (1961), is the first taekwondo organisation. It was founded in 1959,[a] although official South Korean sources give 1961 as its year of establishment.[b] In 1966, some members of the KTA, led by H. H. Choi, broke off from the KTA and formed the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). The Kukkiwon and the then-World Taekwondo Federation were created by the KTA in the early 1970s. The KTA sits under the Korea Sports Council, is aligned with Kukkiwon, and is a Member National Association (MNA) of the WT. Its goal is to promote the martial art taekwondo as a national sport within South Korea.
Chang Moo Kwan is a style of Korean martial arts that was founded by Yoon Byung-in and Lee Nam Suk.
Chung Do Kwan, created by Won Kuk Lee in 1944, is one of the first of nine schools or kwan teaching Tang Soo Do. Later, the school began to teach what came to be known as taekwondo. This style of Tang Soo Do is known for its overall power and emphasis on kicks to the head.
Edward B. Sell was an American martial arts instructor, and the highest ranking non-Korean practitioner of tae kwon do, holding the honorary rank of 10th degree black belt in the art. Sell founded the U.S. Chung Do Kwan Association.
Rhee Chong-chul was a South Korean Master of Taekwondo who arrived to Australia in the 1960s. He is the founder of Rhee Taekwon-Do, which is widely publicised as Australia's first and biggest Taekwondo school. Rhee holds the title 'World Master' and the rank of 8th Dan in Taekwondo. He is one of the twelve Original Masters of Taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association (KTA).[a]
Rhee Ki Ha is a South Korean Grandmaster of Taekwon-Do. He is widely recognised as the 'Father of British Taekwon-Do' for introducing the martial art to the United Kingdom since arriving in 1967. He is also considered the 'Father of Irish Taekwon-Do', and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, GM Rhee emigrated to the UK in 1967. He was a notable officer of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) during Choi Hong-hi's leadership.
Yun Dukan known as "Grandmaster D.A.Yun" is an early South Korean Taekwondo Pioneer and Grandmaster. Yun is one of the early Taekwondo instructors, a contemporary of martial art Grandmasters Nam Tae Hi, Sang Kyu Shim, Jung Won Sun, Chang Gedo and Kim Il Woong. Yun brought his style of Taekwon-Do to the United States of America in 1968 and has been featured within the Tae Kwon Do Times, Black Belt and Taekwondo & Korean Martial Arts Magazine.
Park Jung-tae was a South Korean master of taekwondo and a pioneer of that martial art in Canada. He was one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, Park emigrated to Canada in 1970. He was a key leader in the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) under Choi Hong-hi, but founded the Global Taekwon-Do Federation in 1990 after leaving the ITF. After teaching taekwondo for many years, Park died in 2002.
The original masters of taekwondo is a group of twelve South Korean martial art masters assembled by the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) in the early 1960s to promote the newly established art of taekwondo. In alphabetical order following Korean naming conventions, they are: Choi Chang-Keun, Choi Kwang-Jo, Han Cha-Kyo, Kim Jong-Chan, Kim Kwan-Il, Kong Young-Il, Park Jong-Soo, Park Jung-Tae, Park Sun-Jae, Rhee Chong-Chul, Rhee Chong-Hyup, and Rhee Ki-Ha.
Choi Chang-keun, widely known as C. K. Choi, is a South Korean–Canadian master of taekwondo, and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, Choi emigrated to Canada in 1969, where he continues to teach his martial art.
Nam Tae-hi was a pioneering South Korean master of taekwondo and is known as the "Father of Vietnamese Taekwondo". With Choi Hong-hi, he co-founded the "Oh Do Kwan" and led the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association (KTA).
Han Cha-kyo was a South Korean master of taekwondo, and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. He held the rank of 9th dan in taekwondo. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1971 with his wife and newborn daughter Nancy Han. He later had another daughter, Catherine Han. After teaching taekwondo for many years in Chicago, he died in 1996.
Park Jong-soo was a South Korean master of taekwondo and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. He held the rank of 9th dan. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to Canada in 1968.
Kong Young-il is a South Korean master of taekwondo and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. He holds the rank of 9th dan. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in the late 1960s.