A few days ago, a beginner Taekwondo student asked me about the grandmasters and their ranks from the different Taekwondo organizations. He was curious about the unique techniques or forms they created but seemed even more interested in the challenging path to achieve greatness.

I was thrilled and excited to see such curiosity and thoughtfulness from a beginner!

However, it seems a bit tough to understand the systems of different associations because there are many organizations with different sets of criteria for defining grandmasters. For the ease of every young Taekwondo learner in this article, we break down the organizations and the list of grandmasters of the most widely recognized systems so you can easily understand.

Who Are Taekwondo Grandmasters?

Let’s understand the meaning of being a real Taekwondo grandmaster, General Choi Hong-Hi once said:

“A true grandmaster is a person who starts the arts at a very young age and continues it until their body will no longer allow it. Then they still contribute mentally to the art.”

What is the real meaning of this quote? Imagine a tree that took decades to grow, in the growing process it developed strong root connections, widespread branches and also provides shade, oxygen, and shelter to countless beings. As it ages, even if its branches weaken and leaves fall, its deep roots continue nourishing the earth, and its presence still supports life.

Similarly, a true grandmaster starts training as a child and masters the art over decades and later becomes an instructor, inspiring thousands of students. As their body slows down, even if they can no longer physically perform techniques at their peak, they continue to contribute by writing books, developing training methods, and mentoring future generations.

Choi Hong Hi and Original Twelve Masters of Taekwondo

The journey of these masters began in the early 1960s when the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) assembled a group of twelve South Korean martial artists, known as the Original Masters of Taekwondo, to promote the newly unified art of Taekwondo.

Each master played a crucial role in standardizing and spreading Taekwondo worldwide. While many held senior positions in the ITF, some eventually parted ways, with most settling in North America, Europe, or Australia, where they continued to promote and further develop the art.

The following table summarizes the status of the twelve original masters of Taekwondo.

Name	Rank	Residence	Life	Organization	Affiliation
Choi Chang-keun (최창근)	9th dan	`🇨🇦` Vancouver, Canada	1940–	Taekwondo Pioneers	ITF
Choi Kwang-jo (최광조)	9th dan	`🇺🇸` Atlanta, USA	1942–	Choi Kwang-Do	Independent
Han Cha-kyo (한차겨)	9th dan	`🇺🇸` Chicago, USA	1934–1996	Universal Tae Kwon Do Federation	Independent
Kim Jong-chan (김종찬)	9th dan	`🇨🇦` Vancouver, Canada	1936–	Jong-Kim Taekwondo	ITF
Kim Kwang-il (김광일)	9th dan	`🇩🇪` Germany	1939–2001	Kwang Mu Sul Taekwon-Do	Independent
Kong Young-il (공영일)	9th dan	`🇺🇸` Las Vegas, USA	1943–	Young Brothers Tae Kwon-Do Institute	Independent
Park Jong-soo (박정수)	9th dan	`🇨🇦` Toronto, Canada	1941–2021	Jong Soo Park Institute of Taekwon-Do	ITF
Park Jung-tae (박정태)	9th dan	`🇨🇦` Mississauga, Canada	1943–2002	Global Taekwon-Do Federation	Independent
Park Sun-jae (박승재)	7th dan or higher	`🇮🇹` Italy	1938–2016	Federazione Italiana Taekwondo (Italian Taekwondo Federation)	Kukkiwon/WTF
Rhee Chong-chul (리종철)	8th dan	`🇦🇺` Sydney, Australia	1935–2023	Rhee Taekwon-Do	Independent
Rhee Chong-hyup (리종협)	7th dan	`🇦🇺` Melbourne, Australia	1940–	Rhee Taekwon-Do	Independent
Rhee Ki-ha (리기하)	9th dan	🇬🇧 Glasgow, UK	1938–	United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association	ITF

ITF Taekwondo Grandmasters

Name	Rank	Life	Residence	Prominence
Kim, Jong-Chan	9th dan	1936-	🇨🇦 Canada	Grandmaster Kim (born February 12, 1936, in Japan) earned his 9th Dan Black Belt in 1991 and trained Dr. Hector Marano and Pablo Trajtenberg.
Choi, Chang-keun	9th dan	1941–	🇨🇦 Canada	C.K. Choi designed the ITF tree logo worn on uniforms, earned his 9th Dan in 2002, and advocates for ITF unity worldwide.
Choi, Hong-hi	9th dan	1918–2002	🇨🇦 Canada	General Choi played a key role in founding Taekwon-Do (1955) and the ITF (1966) and was KTA’s first president. He passed away on June 15, 2002, in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Choi, Jung-hwa	9th dan	1951-	🇨🇦 Canada	CHOI Jung-hwa, son of Taekwon-Do founder General Choi Hong Hi, is president of the ITF headquartered in the London. He was promoted to 9th Dan in 2004.
Howard, Robert J	9th dan	1938–	🇮🇪 Ireland	President of the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association, he helped establish Taekwondo in Ireland and was the first European to be promoted to 9th Dan in 2011.
Kong, Young-il	9th dan	1943–	🇺🇸 USA	Promoted to 9th Dan by H.H. Choi in 1977 in Poland, he was one of the KTA’s 12 original masters.
Nam, Tae hi	9th dan	1929–2013	🇺🇸 USA	Known as the “father of Vietnamese Taekwondo”, he played a pivotal role in the 1954 martial arts demonstration and co-led the KTA’s 12 original masters.
Nguyen, Van Binh	9th dan	1939–	🇺🇸 USA	Chairman of the ITF Masters Promotion Committee, President of ITF-USA, and a Taekwondo pioneer in Vietnam. At that time, he was the only 9th Dan inducted by Founder Gen. Choi Hong Hi.
Park, Jong-soo	9th dan	1941–2021	🇨🇦 Canada	One of the KTA’s 12 original masters, he migrated to Canada in 1968.
Rhee, Ki-ha	9th dan	1938–	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	The father of British and Irish Taekwondo, Rhee was the first to receive 9th Dan from Choi Hong Hi on July 1, 1997, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He is currently Vice President of one of the ITF organizations.
Sereff, Charles	9th dan	1933–2022	🇺🇸 USA	One of the few promoted to 9th Dan by H.H. Choi, he founded the United States Taekwondo Federation and received his 9th Dan in 1990.
Trajtenberg, Pablo	9th dan	1955–2022	🇦🇷 Argentina	In 1980, he co-founded the “Centro Argentino de Taekwon-Do” with Héctor Marano. He became president of one of the three ITF organizations after T.Q. Tran’s death in 2010.
Tran, Trieu Quan	9th dan	1952–2010	🇨🇦 Canada	President of one of the three ITF organizations from June 13, 2003, to 2010, he was promoted to 9th Dan on December 22, 2008.

WTF Taekwondo Grandmasters

Name	Rank	Life	Residence	Prominence
Hong Sung-chon	9th dan	May 3, 1945–	🇵🇭 Philippines	Kukkiwon Chairman of the Board (2016–present) and CEO & Chief Instructor of the Philippine Taekwondo Association (since 1975).
Ahn, Kyongwon	9th dan	1937–	🇺🇸 United States of America	Founder of the United Taekwondo Association(UTA), former USTU president, and U.S. Olympic Committee board member. Key in Taekwondo’s Olympic inclusion (1988, 1992). Promoted to 9th Dan (1990) by WTF.
Choi, Tae-hong	9th dan	May 28, 1935 – March 8, 2009	🇺🇸 United States of America	Founded Oregon’s first Taekwondo school and served as USTU vice president. A pioneer of Taekwondo in the U.S., teaching before the art was widely known.
Chung, Sun-hwan	9th dan	May 6, 1940–	🇺🇸 United States of America	Founder of Moo Sool Do and President of the World Academy of Martial Arts Association. Korean National Champion (1963–65). Served on the Kukkiwon Advisory Council (2008) and USTU Michigan TKD Association. Promoted to 9th Dan by Kukkiwon (1993).
Kim, Ki-whang	10th dan	1920–September 16, 1993	🇺🇸 United States of America	Promoted to 9th Dan by the Korea Taekwondo Association (1971). Served as Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Taekwondo Team (1988). Awarded 10th Dan by the KTA in 1993 while hospitalized with terminal cancer, honoring his lifelong dedication.
Samer Kamal	9th dan	May 12, 1966–	🇨🇦 Canada	Kamal, the Best Jordanian Athlete, won a medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. A 9th Dan Kukkiwon Black Belt (2022), he is President of the Arab Canadian Sports Association and Champions Martial Arts Taekwondo in Canada and Jordan. He has been a 1st Class International Referee since 1999 and a Kukkiwon Examiner.
Sell, Edward B	10th dan	July 17, 1942–February 5, 2014	🇺🇸 Lakeland, Florida (USA)	The highest-ranked non-Asian Taekwondo black belt and the only non-Korean honored at Taekwondo Park in Seoul. Founder of the United States Chung Do Kwan Association (USCDKA).
Paik, Sang-kee	9th dan	August 21, 1929–July 12, 2009	🇺🇸 United States of America	An early student of B. I. Yoon and the first black belt of Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim, Paik later founded the Sa-Sang Kwan system. He was among the first to earn a black belt under Yoon Byung-In.
Park, Dong-keun	9th dan	1941–	🇺🇸 Kearny, New Jersey, USA	D. K. Park, the father of Thai Taekwondo, teach the art to the Thai royal family and the US military in 1966. He served as Head Coach of the US Olympic Taekwondo team in 1988 and 1992.
Park, Young-Ghil	10th dan	July 24, 1941– 2024	🇮🇹 Italy	One of the three founders of Italian Taekwondo(three Park Brothers – Sun-Jae Park, Young-Ghil Park, Chung-un Park), Honorary President of FITA (2016–2024), and Technical Director of the WTF Poomsae Committee (2018).
Lee, Hyeon-kon	9th dan	1947–	🇺🇸 United States of America	Chairman of Kukkiwon’s Board of Education, former WTF Vice Chairman of Education, and Taekwondo textbook author. An M.D. since 2000, he blends Eastern and Western medicine, with research published in over 10 journals.
Cho, Byung-kon	9th dan	1947–	🇺🇸 United States of America	Student of Grandmasters Pong-ki Kim and Kop-soo Kwon. Founder of the Wisconsin and Virginia Governors Cup. Author of multiple books on Taekwondo, Korean culture, and health. Served as Secretary General of the Korean-American Foundation and the US Taekwondo Martial Arts Commission. Former President of the Virginia State Taekwondo Association and Flexibility Consultant for the Green Bay Packers.
Sell, Brenda Jean	9th dan	January 1955–	🇺🇸 Lakeland, Florida (USA)	The first female awarded World Taekwondo Federation international referee certification in 1977, she is the highest-ranked non-Asian Kukkiwon female in the world. President of the United States Chung Do Kwan Association, she earned her 9th-degree black belt from Park Hae-man and the Kukkiwon High Dan Testing Board in 2017, becoming the highest-ranked American female in Taekwondo and only the second female to achieve this rank.
Wyllie, Gregory	9th dan	1955 –	🇦🇺 Sydney, New South Wales (Australia)	He introduced Taekwondo into the New South Wales school system and founded the successful All Schools tournament. Owner of Wyllie Strike Taekwondo Academy, he trains alongside his sons, Steve and Chris. The highest-ranked Taekwondo orator in Australia, he achieved his 9th Dan in April 2016.