List of taekwondo grandmasters includes notable persons who have been recognised as grandmasters of the Korean martial art of taekwondo. There is no single, universally-recognised set of criteria to define a taekwondo grandmaster; different organisations and different styles have their own rules. The persons listed below are grouped by system: Kukkiwon (widely known as the World Taekwondo Federation or WTF system), International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), and other systems (which includes some persons receiving ranks from taekwondo organisations that predate the other two systems, e.g., the original Korea Taekwondo Association).
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This list includes persons who: (1) are ranked at least 9th dan by Kukkiwon (the highest rank normally awarded to living persons within that system); (2) are notable as individuals; and (3) are notable for their contribution to taekwondo.
Name | Rank | Life | Residence | Prominence | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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, USA; former Vice-President of the United States Taekwondo Union | See main article |
Kim, Ki Whang | 10th dan | 1920–1993 | United States of America | Promoted to 10th dan by the KTA; Chairman of the US Olympic Taekwondo team | See main article |
Lee, Chong Soo | 9th dan | 1938– | Canada | Father of Canadian taekwondo | [1] |
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 | [2][3][4] |
Mayes, Myong Sok Namkung | 9th dan | c. 1954– | United States of America | Highest-ranked woman in taekwondo | [5][6][7] |
Paik, Sang Kee | 9th dan | 1929–2009 | United States of America | Early student of B. I. Yoon and K. W. Kim; created Sa-Sang Kwan system | See main article |
Park, Dong Keun | 9th dan | c. 1945– | United States of America | Father of Thai taekwondo; Head Coach of US Olympic taekwondo team in 1988 and 1992 | See main article |
Park, Sun Jae | 9th dan | c. 1940– | Italy | Father of Italian taekwondo; Vice President (Italy) of the WTF; one of the KTA's 12 original masters | [8][9][10][11] |
This list includes persons who: (1) are ranked 9th dan by the ITF (and thus officially recognised as 'Grand Masters' within that system);[12] (2) are notable as individuals; and (3) are notable for their contribution to taekwondo.
Name | Rank | Life | Residence | Prominence | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 taekwondo; inaugural President of the KTA; founded the ITF; co-led the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Choi, Jung Hwa | 9th dan | 1954– | United Kingdom | President of one of the three ITF organisations; son of H. H. Choi; involvement in Korean political controversy | [13][14][15] |
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 | [16][17][18][19] |
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– | 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 |
Dang, Huy Duc | 9th dan | 1944– | United States of America | Director of Martial Arts Training Center, South Vietnam National Police Force Headquarters; one of the few promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi | [20][21][22] |
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 | [23][24][25] |
Park, Jong Soo | 9th dan | 1941– | 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– | United States of America | One of the few promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi; founded the United States Taekwon-Do Federation | [26][27][28] |
Tran, Trieu Quan | 9th dan | 1952–2010 | Canada | President of one of the three ITF organisations from 2003 to 2010 | See main article |
Trajtenberg, Pablo | 9th dan | c. 1955– | Argentina | President of one of the three ITF organisations after T. Q. Tran's death in 2010 | [29][30][31][32] |
This list includes persons who: (1) have been widely-recognised masters for at least 30 years; (2) are notable as individuals; and (3) are notable for their contribution to taekwondo.
Name | Rank | Life | Residence | Prominence | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ahn, Eung Choon | 9th dan | 1941– | United States of America | Founded Hae San Martial Arts Association | [33][34][35][36] |
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– | 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 | [28][37] |
Park, Jung Tae | 9th dan | c. 1943–2002 | Canada | One of the KTA's 12 original masters | See main article |
Rhee, Chong Chul | 8th dan | c. 1935– | Australia | 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– | United States of America | Father of American taekwondo | See main article |
Yates, Keith D. | 10th dan | 1950– | United States of America | Founded Nam Seo Kwan Tae Kwon Do; author of several martial arts books. | See main article |