List of taekwondo grandmasters

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Many taekwondo grandmasters are natives of South Korea, the birthplace of the martial art

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

Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters)

This list includes persons who:

1. are ranked at least 9th -10th depending school 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
Kang, Myung Kyu	10th dan	1933-2012	United States of America	A highly decorated Korean War Veteran of the South Korean Army. He was a very accomplished and well-respected 10th degree Grandmaster in Tae Kwon Do and a Master in Judo. He taught these and other martial arts disciplines at the United Martial Arts College in Sacramento, California (USA) which he founded in 1964. His school teaches a traditional style of Moo Duk Kwon Tae Kwon Do. Among his thousands of students were Michael Ajay and Clint Robinson.	Martial Art Training - Kang's United Arts College, LLC http://kangsunitedartscollege.com
Grandmaster Man-hee Han	9th dan	1938–		Grandmaster Han was on the Board of Directors of the Korean Tae Kwon Do Federation in its early days. He helped design the Palgue forms presently used by the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. Grandmaster Man Hee Han is the founder of the Youn Wha Ryu System of martial arts. It is based in traditional Tae Kwon Do, incorporating elements of Hapkido, Karate, Kung Fu and Judo.
Kwak, Byung-Yul	8th dan		United States of America	Learned from Grandmaster Yun Hun Shin Joined South Korean Air Force in 1962, Taught Taekwondo to American Air Force reserves, Opened the first branch of Mun Moo Kwan in the United States of America in 1969, 8th Dan Black Belt from Kukkiwon 9th Dan Chang Moo Kwan
Chang, Tae Rang	9th dan	1941-	United States of America	9th Dan Black Belt (No. 05000023) from Kukkiwon on 15 December 1993 appointed under President Un Yong Kim. Certified No. 253 22 September 1973 from The World Taekwondo Federation qualified as an International Master-Instructor in the Art and Science of Taekwondo appointed under President Un Yon Kim Opened his first dojang World Martial Arts in 1973 (New Jersey). Taught Taekwondo for over 25 years in his own dojang until 1998. In 1991, Grand Master Chang began as the Rockville Center Police Training Office teaching Taekwondo under Police Commissioner John P. McKeon. On 7 October 2000, he successfully completed United States Taekwondo Union (USTU) Licensing Program Seminar for Grand Master Instructors. USTU is recognized by The United States Olympic Committee Continued his teaching with Nassau County Police Athletic League until 2007. Awarded for 20 years Service as the Training Officer for the Rockville Centre Police (1991–2011) Presented by Charles A. Gennario, Police Commissioner of Rockville Centre Police Dept.
Hong Sung-chon	9th dan	1945–	Philippines	Kukkiwon Chairman of the Board (2016–). CEO and Chief Instructor of the Philippine Taekwondo Association (1975–)
Choi, Joon	10th dan	1945–2021		Creator of Battle of Columbus, Olympic Coach, Founding father of Oriental Martial Arts College, coached teams in the 3rd World Taekwondo Championship – 1977 in Chicago where the team became 3rd place in the world; 1988 U. S. National Team Coach for the Seoul Olympics which brought home 11 medals, US women's Team became 1st place in the world and the Men's Team became 2nd place in the world.
Chung, Sun-yong	9th dan	c. 1940	Portugal	Father of Taekwondo in Portugal (1974) Vietnam war veteran Founded the Portuguese Taekwondo Association (1975). Author of the first Taekwondo book ever published in the Portuguese language (1975) also distributed in Brazil and other Portuguese speaking countries. Promoter of Taekwondo in countries like USSR, Israel, Angola, Mozambique, etc. Received Korean Presidential award.
Lee, Eun-woo	9th dan	1948–	South Africa	President of Kwanjangdo(KJD) in South Africa and the United Kingdom, Technical Director of the Mozambique Taekwondo Federation and Technical Advisor for Swaziland. Kukkiwon Technical Advisor.
Lee, Moo-yong	10th dan	1938–2016	United States of America	2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from President Obama's Council on Physical Fitness. Promoted to 10th Dan posthumously on 21 February 2017.
Ahn, Kyongwon	9th dan	1937–	United States of America	Founded United Taekwondo Association; former president of the United States Taekwondo Union	See main article
Goh, Chae-t.	9th dan	1950s–	Korea	secretary for 8/9 dan testing Co-Grandmaster of the year 1994. Winner, first king of the world competition (YouTube)
Cha, Yong-kil	9th dan	1946–	Germany	President of the Jidokwan Europe Federation
Chang, Seong-dong	9th dan	1953–	South Korea	President of Sangrok World Taekwondo Academy, founder of Taekwondo in India
Choi, Eung-gil	9th dan	unknown-	United States of America	Korean Special Forces Takewondo champion (1975–1977) Served as Peaceful Unification Advisor for the South Korean Government to improve its relationship with North Korea (1999–2005) Received the Korean Presidential award for outstanding performance as a peaceful unification advisor. Founded USTMA in Leesburg Virginia Founded the "Kick Cancer Out of this World" benefit event which has raised over $120,000 for cancer charities. Awarded the Korean National Medial of Honor (14 October 2017) by the Government of South Korea.
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.
Dong, Seung-gyoo	9th dan	1946–	United States of America	President of Advanced World Martial Arts System; author of several books, King of the World Speed Breaking Champion 1999, 9th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do 9th Degree Black Belt in Kum Do, 9th Degree Black Belt in Ta Kyuk Do, master's degree in physical education, inducted into Martial arts Hall of Fame 2016.
Kailian, Gregory S.	9th dan	1946–	United States of America	9th dan (Kukkiwon #05001960) 1st Class Master Instructor (Kukkiwon #1647001) 1st Class Poom/Dan Promotion Test Examiner (Kukkiwon #1020001) "S" Class World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), International Referee (WTF IR #013-0625) Author, Sport Taekwondo Referee Primer	Sport Taekwondo Referee Primer
Kil, Sang-sup	9th dan	Unknown	United States of America	Korean National Champion between the years of 1965 and 1968, Founding President of the United States Han Mu Kwan Federation, President of the Michigan Tae Kwon Do Association
Kim, Il-kwon	9th dan	1942–2015	United States of America	Founder and President of the I. K. Kim Ja Be Ryu Tae Kwon Do Organization located in Cincinnati Ohio & President of the World Martial Arts Federation
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
Lee, Bum-i	9th dan	1938–2023	Germany	President of the German-Korean culture Federal e.V. (DKK e.V.). Chairman of Taekwondo Instructor Association in Europe. Chairman of the European Taekwondo delegation in Korea. Highest Dan-grade of Europe (1985) and "father of Taekwondo" in Germany. Lives in Hannover.
Parlak, Kenan	9th Dan	1960-	Germany	Kenan Parlak is founder and chairman of Kenan's Taekwondo in Hamburg, Germany. He has had many successes as a Competitor and Coach. He is a highly decorated Poomsae Champion for the German and Turkish National Team. Kenan Parlak successfully passed the 9th DAN exam at Kukkiwon in Seoul on Friday, 13 October 2017.	https://www.kenans-taekwondo.com/
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
Lee, Jong-soo (aka: Chong Lee)	10th dan	1938–2017	Canada	Father of taekwondo in Canada. Chong Lee opened the first Canadian taekwondo dojang in Montreal in 1964. Promoted to 10th Dan posthumously in 2021.
Lee, Jun Hyeog	9th dan	1962	United States of America	Secretary General of United States Taekwondo Committee Editor in Chief of Taekwondo Times Top Ten Martial Arts Master in US Certified International Referee (Kukkiwon) Duke University Taekwondo Team Coach Board Breaking World Record Holder (Broke 5,000 boards in 7 hours).	https://www.usadojo.com/jun-lee/
Lee, Tae-eun	9th dan	Unknown	Canada	Executive Council member of the World Taekwondo Federation; Major player in having WTF Taekwondo recognized as an official Olympic sport; Goodwill Ambassador for the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Korea and Canada, from 3 October 2012 – 31 December 2013. Founded his own Taekwondo school in Ottawa.
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.	Edward B. Sell
Lee, Moo-yong	10th dan	1938–2016	United States of America	2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from President Obama's Council on Physical Fitness. Promoted to 10th Dan posthumously on 21 February 2017.
Pan, Sim-woon	10th dan	1950-2020	UK / Malaysia	Grandmaster Pan, Sim-woon spent his life travelling around the world instructing people in Kukkiwon Taekwondo. Achieved Kukkiwon 9th Dan, Kukkiwon 1st Class Instructor, Kukkiwon 1st Class Poom/Dan Examiner and Changmookwan 9th Dan. He was posthumously promoted to 10th Dan on 17 January 2020
Lee, Kwan-sung	9th dan	c. 194?–2003	United States of America	President of Kentucky Taekwondo Association.
Mayes, Myong-sok Namkung	9th dan	c. 1954–	United States of America	Highest-ranked woman in taekwondo, 1988 US Olympic Coach (Women's)
Nguyen, Dang Phung	9th dan	Unknown	Australia	President of Chang Moo Kwan Australasia, Order of Australia Medal (OAM) 2009	See main article
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
Pak, Jang-hee	9th dan		United States of America	Produced 5 Black belt students who have represented the United States National Tae Kwon Do Team, two of whom won gold medals in the Olympic Games.
Chung, Joong Sung	9th dan	Unknown	United States of America	Also holds a 9th Degree Black Belt in Hapkido and a 6th Degree Black Belt in Judo World leader in Moo Duk Kwon style of Tae Kwon Do Assistant to a three-star General in the Marines, Military Police Chief of Seoul, and a bodyguard for General William Westmoreland
Park, Yeon-hwan	9th dan	1952–	United States of America	Korean National Champion 1971–1975; US Olympic Coach; Pan-American Team Coach; author of several reference books	See main article
Park, Young-ghil	9th dan	1941–	Italy	One of Founders of Italian Taekwondo (three Park Brothers - Sun-jae Park, Young-ghil Park, Chung-un Park); current Honorary President of FITA - Italian Taekwondo Federation; current Technical Director of WTF Poomsae Committee
Kang, Jong-kil	9th dan	1943–	United States of America	1960 - Taught the Kim Ja City, Korea, police department 1963 - Kyunggido State welterweight Gold Medal Champion 1967 - National Korea Championship Gold Medal 1967 - Won Korea President's Cup - Korea's Best Team and ROK Team Leader, knocked out two people and was undefeated in competition 1968 - Grand Master Kang receives license to teach Chung Do Kwan branch in Seoul, Korea. 1970 to 1977 - R.O.C. Taiwan's President Grand Master No, Hyo Young, invites Master Kang to teach Marine Corps and Special Military Police Academy. Also trained Hong Kong Movie stars, Sang-kwon Lee Fong, and Deeway in addition to teaching Taripei American School 1977 Arrived in Hawaii to teach U.S. Army Green Beret 1978 - Taught and opened the first W.T.F. Olympic System Brother's TaeKwonDo in Arizona. 1983 - W.T.F. Master Kang coaches the U.S. team in Denmark at the 6th World TKD Championship. 1985 - International referee at the World TKD Collegiate Championships. 1987 - International referee at the Pan Am Games in Indianapolis, Indiana. 1990 - U.S. Olympic Festival Referee 1992 - International Brother's Championship, Mesa High School. Include the Taiwan Olympic Team, Mexico Team, teams from Australia, Chile, and Brother's Taekwondo AZ, LA, AK, OK, and NC. 1999, 13 March - Awarded 9th Degree Black Belt by the Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Federation)
Shin, Jang-hwan	9th dan	1951–	Austria	Father of Austrian taekwondo
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.
Ko, Tai-jeong	9th dan	1948–	Denmark	Former national coach of Denmark - "Today Ko Tai-Jeong teaches Taekwondo at a Danish højskole (literally: high school) a unique Danish type of boarding school for adults dedicated to lifelong learning. The 9th Dan Grandmaster is also the central figure and role model for Sim Uu, a special interest group under the Danish Taekwondo Federation (and thereby World Taekwondo)" Reference: The Smiling Taekwondo Pioneer.
Won, In Hui	9th dan	1951-	United States of America	Appointed by Grandmaster Kyo Yoon Lee, founder of HanMooKwan, in 2017 as the President and successor of the World Taekwondo HanMooKwan Federation (1954) leadership. First to attain 10th Dan in Taekwondo HanMooKwan by his founder Grandmaster Kyo Yoon Lee. President of the US Central Taekwondo Association (USCTA) in Oklahoma, President of the Oklahoma State Taekwondo Association (OSTA) through USA Taekwondo (Olympic body for Taekwondo in the USA).	https://www.worldhanmookwan.org/ https://www.gmwons.com/
Park, Suk-byung	10th dan	1948–	South Korea	President and Founder of the American Jungdo Federation, Korea Judo National Champion (1969–1974), Olympic Head Coach – Netherlands, Yong In University Assistant Professor, Black Belt Man of the Year 1983, 1993, 1999, World Championships – 2nd Place, Head Instructor at Park's Martial Arts Academy in Billings, MT USA. 10th Dan in both Taekwondo and Judo
Kim, Kil-nam	9th dan	Unknown	United States of America	Founder of the San Diego Taekwondo Association, Former President of the San Diego Taekwondo Association, International Grandmaster, International Referee, Founder and Owner of Pan-Am Tae Kwon Do Academy - all classes instructed by Grandmaster NAM KIM.	founder of the California Tae Kwon Do championship
Robinson, Clint	9th dan	Unknown	United States of America	Co-founder of the United World Taekwondo Association (UWTA). Since 1975 Grandmaster Robinson has trained thousands of students to the highest levels of expertise in the Korean-based martial art.The co-founder of the UWTA was elected to the United States Grandmasters Society Hall of Fame and the American Taekwondo Association Hall of Fame after teaching thousands of students since opening his dojang in Sacramento, CA. GMR has been honored by the US Congress, the Joint Houses of the CA Legislature and was honored with the NBA 'Differencemaker' Award for anti-bullying efforts in the community. Clint Robinson served as Senior Vice President of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). GM Robinson also leads the TKD classes at American River College as adjunct professor and created the Sports Business Management course for the Los Rios College District. The owner of RH Robinson Enterprises, operating up to 20 locations at times, has been recognized for his entrepreneurial business creation. Teaching classes daily the former champion competitor also attended Tuskegee University, Sacramento City College and California State University. Grandmaster Clint Robinson is also a USAF veteran. Elected a US member of the Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Advisory Committee, GMR was an honored guest speaker at the 2014 Grand Opening of the World TKD Park in Muju and regularly attends World Advisory events in Seoul, and signed the Kukkiwon World Peace Pledge as US rep in 2018. GMR hosts regional competitive events throughout the year including the UWTA Black Belt Test in Reno, NV, the Sacramento International Championships and offers community service events on bullying, health and fitness in TKD training for the public. GMR was Vice Chair of the Pan Am Hanmadang in 2017 and hosted the CA Hanmadang at Folsom Lake College in 2018/19, the first virtual CA UWTA Cup and Hanmadang in 2020.	See also Facebook @GMClintRobinson, TKD Grandmaster Clint Robinson on YouTube, gmrobinson2018 on IG or robinsonstkd.com
Cho, Woon-sup	9th dan	1952	Norway	President of Traditional Taekwondo Union (TTU)
Cho, Byung-kon	9th dan	1947–	United States of America	Student of Grand Master Pong-ki Kim and Grand Master Kop-soo Kwon Kukkiwon #05000166 - Issued: 2001-09-08 Founder: Wisconsin Governors Cup Founder: Virginia Governors Cup Author: Korean Culture, Tourism and Language Author: Star Taekwon-Do Master's Course Author: Martial Arts Dynamic Marketing and Management Seminar Author: International Discipline in the Martial Arts Seminar Author: A Health Revolution Secretary General for Korean-American Foundation (KAF) Past President of the Virginia State Tae Kwon Do Association Former Secretary General for US Taekwondo Martial Arts Commission Former Flexibility Consultant for Green Bay Packers	TaeKwonDo Times Magazine Issue March 1991
Gonzalo Camelo	9th dan	1961	Colombia	Founder of the "Academia Internacional de Taekwondo"
Kim, Yang-woong	9th dan	January 1943–	Salzburg (Austria)	Former trainer of the South Korean National Team, former Trainer of the Austrian National Team, Kukkiwon Award for his Life Contributions to Tae Kwon Do, Technical Competition Director for the Austrian Tak Kwon Do Association (ÖSVT); Hosted the Austrian Tae Kwon Do Championship in 2015
Sell, Brenda Jean (Brenda Sell)	9th dan	January 1955–	Lakeland, Florida (USA)	Kukkiwon Certificate number: 05001899 first female to be awarded the World Taekwondo Federation certification for international level referee credentials Highest ranked non-Asian Kukkiwon female in the world President of the United States Chung Do Kwan Association	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.
Richard Chun	9th dan	November 2017	United States of America
Jeong, Chan	9th dan	Unknown	St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada	Jeong earned his 9th dan in October 2018.	Accomplishments found here: https://www.jeongsfamilytkd.com/our-family
Zareei, Jafar	9th dan	Unknown	The Netherlands	GM Zareei passed his 9th dan exam at the World Taekwondo Academy KUKKIWON in Seoul on 13 August 2021.
Nazmdeh, Mojtaba	9th dan	Unknown	The Islamic Republic of Iran	Takavaran Taekwondo Olympic Ref & Coach KukKiWon Advisory Committee Member IOC - OS Technical Expert World TKD Hanmadang Champ 2017
Soo-woong Lee	9th dan	Unknown	United States of America	One of the first Korean masters to settle in the US, he is one of the most respected Taekwondo grandmasters of all time. He is the father of popular actor and martial artist Will Yun Lee, who, like his father, is also a Taekwondo black belt.	More information found here: https://martialartsusapetaluma.com/about-us-1
Shin, Dong-Ki	9th dan	1945	United States of America	An original member of the Tiger Division that went to Vietnam in 1965 to teach the U.S. Army, Grandmaster Shin started Hwa Rang Kwan in 1965 and still teaches in Belmont, south of San Francisco. He also founded the Northern California Taekwondo Association (NCTA) and Hwa Rang Muye. He also holds a 9th dan in Hapkido.	More details can be found at https://www.hwarang.tech/instructors
Gerard van den Berg	9th dan	1957	Leiden	Netherlands	Grandmaster Gerard van den Berg Was on 15 June 2022 the first born Dutchman, Taekwondoka who has take an exam for the 9th Dan in the Kukkiwon Seoul Korea. http://www.taekwondoleiden.nl
Lim, Seung Kil	9th dan	Unknown -	United States of America	Taekwondo 9th Dan Hapkido 7th Dan Royal Taekwondo Grandmaster, Saudi Arabia, 1988–2006 Royal Hapkido Grandmaster, Saudi Arabia, 1999–2006 Grandmaster, Korean Embassy School, Saudi Arabia, 1988–2006 Demonstrator Master, Special Forces, Saudi Arabia, 1988–2006 International Referee 2nd Degree, Taekwondo, 2005 Commendation by Minister of National Defense, Saudi Arabia, 2003 Commendation by Minister of Culture Sports, Korea, 1998	US Taekwondo Training Center https://www.masterlim.com/
Manav, Ridvan	9th dan	1963 -	Sydney, Australia	Inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in Zagreb, Croatia 2015 Technical Advisor Representing Australia	https://www.australianmartialarts.com.au/
Baker, Jared Von	10th dan	2007 - 2023	Utah, United States of America	Lifelong student of Taekwondo who demonstrated the tenets of Taekwondo in every occasion in his life whether in dojang, at home or in the greater community. Posthumously awarded "10th dan" following a courageous battle with Lymphoma. Bravely faced his initial diagnosis in 2016, and again through both relapses in both 2022 and 2023. Despite facing an ongoing battle for his life, Jared was an inspiration for all those who knew him.	Instagram Page - Fight with Team Jared Obituary - Jared Von Baker
Marcus, Martin	9th Dan	1956-	United States/Israel	Holds 9th Dan by Changmookwan under GM Joong Young Kim also 9th Dan with World Taekwondo Chungdokwan under GM Hae Man Park also 9th Dan with World Jidokwan also 9th Dan with Traditional Changmookwan under GM Jon Weidenman also 9th Dan with USA Taekwondo (USAT) also 8th Dan with Kukkiwon also 8th Dan with World Tangsoodo General Federation also 4th Dan with the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) holds 1st Class Dan/Poom and Master Instructor with Kukkiwon as well as Hanmadan holds 1st Class IR Kyrugi with the WTF holds ITF Umpire Certification

International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITFs)

This list includes persons who:

1. are ranked 9th dan by the ITF (and thus officially recognised as 'Grand Masters' within that system);
2. are notable as individuals; and
3. are notable for their contribution to taekwondo.

Name	Rank	Life	Residence	Prominence	References
Kim, Jong-Chan	9th dan	1936-	Canada	Grandmaster Jong Chan Kim (JC Kim) was born in 1936.  -1953 JC Kim Began studying martial arts with Kim Bong Gil -1955 General Choi announced and created the name Taekwon-Do on 11 April. -1956 Joined the Military Police Academy, studied various Martial Arts under Kim Sung Bok -1957 Under the direction of General Ha built the first Taekwon-Do Academy of the 7th Infantry Division with Major Park. Introduced to General Choi. -1958 Attended the First Instructors course held under the First Army in Won Ju, Korea, led by Major Woo (2nd Dan Black Belt), Lieutenant Hong (1st Dan Black Belt) and Captain Nam (3rd Dan Black Belt)Appointed to the Special Security Mission for the Army Commander. Trained in all Martial Arts for 8 months. -1960 Promoted to 2nd Dan Black Belt in Taekwon-Do -1962 Appointed as Head Instructor of the Oh Do Kwan Headquarters school in Seoul. Organized the world’s first Taekwon-Do Championships, held in Wonju, Korea, where CK Choi became free sparring and patterns champion -1963 Promoted to Tae Soo Do (Karate) 3rd Degree Black Belt -1964 Trained directly under General Choi for four months, where the 24 Taekwon-Do patterns were formed. Assisted General Choi with the First Taekwon-Do Book. Introduced Park Jong Soo to General Choi. Appointed as the first Instructor to Instructors for the Minister of Defense (Army, Navy, Air Force & Marine Corps.) -1965 Organized Taekwon-Do as primary martial art trained in the Korean military. -1966 The International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) was formed. Appointed as Chief Instructor and a founding member of the ITF. -Taught Tae-Kwon Do Patterns, Chon-Ji to Choong-Moo to instructor Jhoon Ree. Thereafter Jhoon Rhee went to USA and published the Taekwon-Do Handbook.Taught Tae-Kwon Do Patterns Chon-Ji to Choong-Moo to instructor Kim Han Chan. Thereafter Kim Han Chan went to Argentina. Appointed as the first Tae Kwon Do Chief Instructor to the Korean National Police Force, by the Minister of Homeland Affairs -1967 Developed the first International Instructors course for the ITF, where the minimum student entrant would possess a 4th Dan black belt. -1968 Invited by the Singapore government to introduce Taekwon-Do. Instructed in Malaysia Perak State. -1969 Organized the first Malaysian Taekwon-Do Championships in Penang -1970 Arrived in Vancouver BC Canada to promote and demonstrate Taekwon-Do with C.K. Choi at UBC, SFU, & various high schools. -1971 Organized with Han Cha Kyo, the first Asian Taekwon-Do Championships, held in Hong Kong.Taught Army Cadets in New Westminster BC Arrived in Montreal Canada -1972 Opened the first Taekwon-Do School in Montreal. -1973 Appointed as the first Chairman of the Technical Committee of the International TAEKWON-DO Federation. Master JC Kim was promoted to 7 Dan black belt. Organized the World’s First Taekwon-Do Masters Demonstration, at the Montreal Forum where 27 Masters attended. -1974 Organized the World’s First Taekwon-Do Championships held at the Montreal Forum. 24 countries participated. -1975 Invented the stretching machine "the Stretchersizer" -1976 Invited as the Instructor, of the European Instructors course held in Glasgow U K. -1977 Studied Bio Physical Education at Concordia University -1978 Moved to New Westminster BC -1979 Trained 21 Taekwon-Do instructors in Argentina including Dr Hector Marano and Pablo Trajtenberg, and with an unprecedented move, promoted several of them directly from 2nd Dan to 4th Dan Black Belts. -1981 Promoted to 8th Dan Black Belt. Elected as the Secretary General of the ITF. Appointed as the Chairman of the Merging Committee for the ITF and WTF. As Chairman of the merging committee, negotiated the merging agreement between the ITF and the WTF, that was submitted to the International Olympic Committee by Un Yong Kim, in order to have Tae Kwon- Do accepted as an Olympic sport	https://jongkimmartialartsguildford.ca/about
Lee, Yoo-Sun	9th dan		USA	ITF Founding Member, President of Home of International Taekwon-Do
Leong Wai Meng	9th Dan	1950-	Australia/Malaysia	SGM Leong has had a long and illustrous career with the ITF, having competed and won top prizes in tournaments in the 1960s to 1970s, to promulgating ITF Taekwon-Do as a chief instructor and examiner  or other capacities in Sweden, Poland, Norway, Greenland, Malaysia, Singapore and countless other jurisdictions.  Currently as Vice President of ITF based in Vienna.
Han Sam soo	9th Dan	1944-2020	Canada	Founder of Life International Taekwon-Do Federation-LITF. Former Chairman of the ITF Umpire Committee, Member of the 4th & 7th ITF Demo Teams 1974 & 1980
Parmjit Rai	9th Dan		Canada	Founder and President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation Elite- ITFE Grand Master Parm Rai started Taekwon-Do in 1978 under Master Lee Sukhi. He received his 1st Degree Black Belt in 1981. He has attended many tournaments as a competitor winning numerous times including the Canadian Nationals and Pan-Am Championships. Grand Master.Rai also represented the Canadian Taekwon-Do team in 1990 where the team won a gold medal in Scotland. Grand Master Rai is an International Instructor and International Class ‘A’ Umpire under the International Taekwon-Do Federation. Grand Master.Rai has also attended many International Instructor courses as assistant to both the founder of Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi.and his son, Grandmaster Choi Jung Hwa. Grand Master Rai has attended many I.T.F. World Championships as Chief umpire for Canada and as special assistant to the President of the I.T.F; Master Choi Jung Hwa. Grand Master Rai was presented a 5 year volunteer award from the Canadian Ministry of Citizenship for his countless hours of volunteer work in his community. Grand Master Rai has held positions in the International Taekwon-Do federation in the past including, Treasurer and membership committee chairman. Grand Master Rai was the Technical Committee Chairman for the ITF from 2004–2021 Grand Master Rai was the Special assistant to Pres. Choi from 2003 to 2021 Grand Master Rai was awarded The ITF loyalty award by Pres. Choi Jung Hwa Grand Master Rai was awarded the Choi Family loyalty award by Pres. Choi Jung Hwa Grand Master Rai has travelled to over 35 countries teaching and instructing instructors and students of the International Taekwon-Do Federation. Grand Master Rai is dedicated to teaching and providing his students the best training both physically and mentally.
Rudolf Kang	9th Dan		Russia	Founder and President of Evolutionary International Taekwon-Do Federation-EITF	https://evolutionary-itf.com/
Hall, Gwen F.	9th dan	1943-	Corpus Christi, TX. United States	President of Hall TaeKwon-Do Association, co-founder of American Taekwon-Do Coalition and Director of Kido Kwan Martial Art International. GM Hall, was the 1st ITF 4th and 5th Dan female international instructor with the ITF. She was the first to teach Taekwon-Do to Panama as she was a US Naval officer stationed there. She started martial arts in 1963 and got her Taekwon-Do 1st Degree Black Belt in 1968. She still actively teaches every class in her small Do-jang three times a week.	http://www.kidokwan.org/
Newton, Mack	9th dan	1946-	Phoenix, AZ United States	Co-founder of American Taekwon-Do Coalition and director of Kido Kwan Martial Art International. In 1981, Newton was named head coach of the USA (ITF) Taekwon-Do Team and held that position until 1984. He is credited with creating the competition format currently being used in International Taekwon-Do competition. Newton was appointed the conditioning coach for the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team in 1985. He held that position for nine years before resigning in 1993 in order to spend more time in his studio with his growing list of clients. He also worked as the conditioning coach for the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 to 1993. Newton has developed many new training methods and has been credited with saving and extending the careers of several Major League Baseball and National Football League players. A partial list of Newton's clients includes former NFL 2-way star Roy Green, 5-time Pro-Bowl star Jay Novacek, NFL Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams, linebacker Seth Joyner, MLB star Dave Stewart, MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, just to mention a few. He also rehabbed Bo Jackson in his return to MLB after a hip replacement ended his NFL career.	https://www.macknewton.com/
Harry, Isaac	9th dan	?	United Kingdom	President of the ITUK association	https://tk-d.co.uk/
Wheatley, Robert	9th dan	?	United States	President of USITF and Scientific Research Committee Chairman under President Choi Jung Hwa	http://www.usitf.com/
Galarraga, Nestor	9th dan	?	Argentina	President of Federacion ITF de Argentina and Chairman of Tournaments & Umpires Committee under President Choi Jung Hwa	http://www.fitfa.com.ar/
Nicholls, Trevor	9th dan	?	United Kingdom	President of United Kingdom ITF, Secretary General, and Vice President under President Choi Jung Hwa	www.tkd.co.uk
Weiss, Earl	9th dan	1955	United States Chicago	One of the last people to test for master's rank under Choi Hong Hi. Weiss is a prolific author on the topic of Taekwon-Do and is a frequent contributor to publications such as Totally TaeKwonDo magazine.	http://ustf-itf.com/masters-directory/
Bos, Willem Jacob	9th dan	1952–	Italy	President of the All European Taekwon-Do Federation 2004–2006; Technical Director for the Italian Taekwon-Do Federation 1992–
Campbell, Derek	9th dan	1959–	Scotland
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; involvement in Korean political controversy. Choi Jung-hwa was born on Cheju Island, Korea on 22 May 1951 and has studied Taekwon-Do since the age of 7, not only under his father, but also under many high ranking and pioneering Taekwon-Do Masters during their visits and stays with General Choi. He served many years on the ITF Executive Board and, later on, Choi Jung-hwa would assist General Choi on many of his International Seminars throughout the world, and later would be appointed by the ITF to conduct these International courses on General Choi's behalf. Grandmaster Choi held the post as Secretary General of the ITF for several years until elected as General Choi's successor to the presidency by the ITF members in 2001 at the ITF Congress. Choi Jung-hwa was promoted to 9th-degree Black Belt in 2004 and to the rank of Grandmaster, is the only son of the founder of Taekwon-Do General Choi Hong-hi.
Hwang, Kwang-sung	9th dan K-9-1 on 12 August 1997	Born 1942, Taegu, Korea	United States of America Manchester, Connecticut	GM Hwang was one of the first three instructors that General Choi, Hong-hi promoted to the rank of 9th Dan. The list consisted of FGM Rhee, Ki Ha UK-9-1, GM Hwang Kwang-sung K-9-1, and GM Charles "Chuck" Sereff A-9-1 who was also the first non-Asian to receive this honor. GM Hwang began studying at the age of 11 and received his 1st Degree in Tang Soo Do in 1957, his 2nd Degree in 1961, his 3rd Degree from the I.T.F. K-3-40 18 September 1968, staying loyal to General Choi Hong-hi through the years. He was at General Choi's side where he transcribed General Choi's last words. GM Hwang retired a captain in the ROK Army where he had instructed The Korean Tiger Division, The Korean Army, The U.S. Marines, U.S. Army, Marine, and the Vietnamese Army receiving many Commendations. GM Hwang simultaneously served as special assistant to General Choi, official spokesman of the ITF, chairman of the ITF promotion and merger committees, and Secretary General of the ITF. GM Hwang also served as the head of the KoreAmerica Taekwon-Do Union as requested by General Choi Hong-hi. GM Hwang is now head of the International Taekwon-Do Federation Unified. His mission is to carry on his previous duties as requested by General Choi to work to unify all who practice Taekwon-Do.
Hwang, Ho-yong	9th dan	1956–	Czechia	The first who proved the possibility of accomplishing 3 and more regular kicks in one jump. Senior vice president of the ITF. Chairman of the Technical & Education Committee. Head instructor of the Czech Taekwon-do Federation ITF.	[7]
Low Koon Lin	9th Dan	13 April 1927-	Malaysia	Malaysian Taekwon-Do Pioneer, Retired	https://www.itf-tkd.org/submitted-articles/show/grand-master-low-koon-lin-the-untold-story
Dalton, Don	9th dan	?	Ireland	President of the International TaeKwon-Do Federation Union. Promoted to 9th dan on 20 September 2019 by Pioneer Grandmaster Kong Young-il.
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
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
Sivalingam Wandaiyar	9th dan	2 May 1962- 7 Aug 2021	Malaysia	Grand Master Sivalingam was a three-time team pattern ITF World Champion back in the 1990s during the World Championships in 1990 in Montreal, Canada, 1992 in Pyongyang, North Korea and in 1994 in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. He dedicated his life to Taekwon-Do and he was responsible for setting up taekwondo and yoga centres in the state of Selangor Malaysia and was hired by the NSI as a psychologist where he also introduced yoga in the institute. He was also a qualified sports psychologist who have helped many athletes throughout his tenure with the National Sports Institute.
Cariati, Joe	9th dan	unknown	Canada	9th dan Head instructor of Woodbridge Taekwondo Group President of International Chang-Hon Taekwondo Federation (ICTF)
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
Creedon, Norman	9th dan	1954-	Ireland	Promoted by Pioneer Grandmaster Yoo-sun Lee on 11 August 2017. Grandmaster Creedon began his training in the early 1970s under Grandmaster Rhee Ki-ha, who introduced Taekwon-Do to the UK and Ireland. Through diligent study he quickly promoted to Black Belt, testing under the Founder Gen. Choi Hong-hi, Master Rhee Ki-ha, and Master Kim Jong-chan. As a competitor, Grandmaster Creedon won numerous national titles in sparring, Tul (patterns) and breaking competition, and has also competed in European and World Championships. In 1978 he was a member of the Irish team which participated in the 2nd I.T.F. World Championships, hosted by Grandmaster Jack Hwang in Oklahoma City, U.S.A. That same year he graduated from the I.T.F. Instructors class in Scotland. He was also on the Irish team that competed in the I.T.F. European Championships in London, England in 1980 and was again chosen as a team member to compete in the 3rd world championships in Argentina in 1981 but declined due to illness in his family. From 1983 to 1986, Master Creedon hosted the "University College Cork Open Martial Arts Championships" – the largest open style tournament of its kind to be held in Ireland at the time. Subsequently, he captained the Irish team that competed in Hee-il Cho's World Championships in Los Angeles in 1985. Grandmaster Creedon is also known for being a superb Instructor. His seminars being highly sought after, he has taught classes throughout his native country, Ireland, as well as Europe and the United States. He is also a prolific writer, and his articles on the various aspects of the Korean Arts, have featured in numerous martial art magazines including Taekwon-Do Times and United States Taekwondo Journal. Throughout his career, he has coached numerous students to national and international titles in both I.T.F. and W.T and has received citations from the International and World Taekwondo Federations. Master Creedon headed the Korean Martial Arts Program at University College Cork, for many years, where he taught both Taekwon-Do and Hapkido. In 2006 he received a Special Achievement Award from the University College Cork in recognition of his contributions and dedication to Physical Education at the University for over a quarter of a century. For the last 47 years, Grandmaster Creedon has made the growth and betterment of Taekwon-Do a constant priority throughout his life and continues to make changes and improvements in all his students' lives.
Nardizzi, Donato	9th dan	1960–	United Kingdom	President of ITF England, Chairman of the ITF Children Development Committee, co-author of the study book and instructor manual of the Taekwondo Kids Development Program, 2012 Olympic Torchbearer.	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
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
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
Sanders, Peter	9th dan	1957-	The Netherlands	First person to be promoted to 9th "dan" by International TaeKwon-Do Federation HQ Korea. Promoted in 2019. Current vice-president of ITF HQ Korea and Chairperson of Council of Masters
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
Svenden, John Arild	9th dan	1967-	Norway	Promoted to 9th Dan by Pioneer Grandmaster Kong Young Il, in Ireland, on 20 September 2019. Grandmaster Svendsen is known for having won more than 60 World Cup gold in 11 different organizations' World Cups and World Championships as of 1 March 2019; ITF, WASCO, PUMA, WTA, WTKA / WTA, UNIFIED WORLD, UFMC, TAGB, United ITF, Re-Unified, WACTO, WFMC and 20+ Euro Gold in several Taekwondo organizations (ITF, TAGB, UITF, TKDI). Svendsen is the most winning taekwondo performer in the ITF style world-wide. He announced his retirement from competition on 2 October 2019.
Trajtenberg, Pablo	9th dan	c. 1955–2022	Argentina	President of one of the three ITF organisations after T. Q. Tran's death in 2010
Tran, Trieu Quan	9th dan	1952–2010	Canada	President of one of the three ITF organisations from 2003 to 2010	See main article
Kirschbaum, Len G.	9th dan	1955–	United States of America	President of IOTF and Founder of the International Academy of TKD. Delegate for H.H. Choi for special certification seminars for ITF.
O'Toole, Brendan	9th dan		Ireland	President of the Irish National Taekwon-do Association (INTA).
Steve Ng Hong Aik,	9th dan		Malaysia	President Of Life International Taekwon-Do Federation -LITF
Gary Tong	9th Dan		Malaysia	Founder of ITF TAEKWONDO WORLD ALLIANCE Promoted to 9th Dan by Pioneer SGM Kim Bok Man on 5 January 2021
Harkess, Peter	9th Dan		UK	President of United Kingdom Taekwondo Council
Phelan Anthony N	9th Dan		Ireland	Vice President of the Republic of Ireland TaeKwon-Do Association. Instructor of GM Francis Barrett. Promoted to 9th dan by ITF congress Pyongyang, September 2016.
Barrett Francis	9th Dan		Ireland	Republic of Ireland TaeKwon-Do Association. Student of GM Anthony Phelan. Promoted at ITF Congress Pyongyang, 17 September 2017.
Tam, Fook-chee	9th dan		Australia	Vice President of All Australia ITF Taekwon-Do Association. Coach of Australian Taekwon-Do Team. First World Overall Veteran ITF Taekwon-Do World Championship 2004. Winning 3 gold medals for pattern, sparring and power breaking and a silver in team sparring. Founder of Australia ITF Taekwon-Do Association.
Nelson Bernard Kirby	9th Dan		Malaysia	Promoted 9th Dan by SGM Kim Bok Man
Amir Md Noor	9th Dan		Malaysia	President Malaysian Global Taekwon-Do Federation-MGTF
Yeow Cheng Watt	9th Dan		Malaysia	Malaysia International Taekwon-Do Federation-MITF
Paul Weiler	9th Dan	7 July 1953	Germany	Grandmaster Paul Weiler is a former sports teacher and currently President of one of the three ITF organisations. He has held many senior positions in the ITF (e.g. President ITF Germany 1989 – 2007, member of the European Referee Committee 1999 -2003, acting ITF Treasurer until 2003) and was appointed by General Choi Hong Hi as a member of the ITF Advisory Council in 2001. He was the organizer of the 2005 ITF World Champs in Dortmund and a member of the ITF Technical Committee from 2015 – 2017. Over the past decade, he has spearheaded the development of Taekwon-Do throughout Africa.	https://tkdcoaching.com/about-grand-master-paul-weiler/
Ri Yong Son	9th Dan		North Korea	President of one of the three ITF organisations, the International Taekwon-Do Federation-ITF based in Austria	https://www.itf-tkd.org/leadership/
Jorge Zorgniotti	9th Dan		Argentina	Founder and President of International Taekwon-Do Federation Masters
Kim Suk Jun	9th Dan		USA	Founder and President of Taekwon-Do International. Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim, 9th Dan, is a first generation student of General Choi Hong Hi and pioneer of Traditional Taekwon-do. He was inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2011, and is the head of Taekwon-Do International. Grandmaster Kim has over 45 years of experience teaching Taekwondo and personally teaches many of the classes. There are very few 9th degree black belts in the world and even fewer who still teach. Master Kim has always prided himself on being a devoted teacher who considers his students and their development as martial artists to be his primary concerns. At S.J. Kim’s Taekwondo, Master Kim teachers all levels of students every day, from beginners to his most advanced black belts. Unlike a gym or health spa, SJ Kim’s Taekwondo is not run like a normal business. Master Kim considers his school to be a place of learning, and his method of teaching emphasizes the traditional values of discipline, practice, hard work and focus. His goal is to teach each student to reach his or her full potential and therefore expects his students to learn and practice with diligence and sincerity. Grandmaster Kim began his own extensive training in Taekwondo at a young age in Seoul, Korea. In addition to studying Taekwondo, he also earned a degree in Civil Engineering and briefly skied professionally. Master Kim’s late father, Dr. C.H. Kim, Professor Emeritus, was a Professor of Coastal and Ocean Engineering at Texas A&M University and is one of the world’s most foremost scholars in the fields of Naval Architecture and Hydrodynamics. Although he chose a different career path than his father, Master Kim has always modeled his own desire for perfection and mastery after Professor Kim’s example. In 1973, Master Kim won the Masters Association Open Championships and the South Atlantic Championship in free fighting, and between 1975 and 1980 he performed annual demonstrations in Madison Square Garden. Master Kim has established schools all over New Jersey, Bergenfield NJ was his main school. And opened his first school in New York City in 1988. A turning point in his development as a martial artist came in 1976 when he was selected by General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Taekwon-do and the International Taekwondo Federation, to become one of the original members of the ITF Demonstration Team. As part of the ITF Demonstration Team, Master Kim spent the next 10 years traveling the world, visiting five continents and many countries. As General Choi’s student, he also taught seminars for black belt instructors all over the world.  Although Master Kim’s experience and knowledge of Taekwondo is still sought after both internationally and elsewhere in the United States, he has dedicated himself to teaching his own students in New York City. As such, many of his former students now travel from other countries and other states in order to continue training with him. As a sign of a teacher’s greatest reward, many of Master Kim’s former students continue to call and write or visit the school to update him on their lives, to say hello and to thank him for teaching them. For the last chapter, Grand Master Kim hopes to become a better teacher and practitioner of Taekwondo and to produce black belts who will contribute to the continuation and promotion of traditional Taekwondo.
Chung, Kwang-Duk	10th Dan		USA	Founder and President of All International Taekwon-Do Federation-AITF, Great Grand Master CHUNG, Kwang-duk is a taekwondo pioneer and one of the founders of taekwondo in Argentina. Chung first began studying martial arts when he was six years old; he studied judo with his uncle. Later he enrolled in Moo Duk Kwan. Taekwondo was introduced in Argentina on 22 June 1967, when three Korean masters (Han Chang Kim, Nam Sung Choi and Kwang Duk Chung) arrived in Argentina. The three arrived on a cargo ship and both Choi and Chung intended to go to Paraguay to start businesses, but Kim convinced them to settle in Buenos Aires instead to start teaching taekwondo. The three men were later joined by Seo Chong Lee, Dae Yang and Chung Moon Chol Jung.
Phap Lu	9th Dan		Canada	Founder and President of the Chan- Hun International Taekwon-Do Federation-CHITF. GM Lu travelled with General Choi as his assistant in the early 1980’s and help spread Taekwon-Do around the world.
Adolfo Villanueva	9th Dan		Argentina	Vice President of ITF based in Vienna
Yuri Kalashnikov	9th Dan		Russia	Vice President of ITF based in Vienna
Linda Low	9th Dan		Australia	Executive Board Membersr of ITF based in Vienna
Enrique Deacon	9th Dan		Peru	Executive Board Membersr of ITF based in Vienna
Rajendran Balan	9th Dan		India	Executive Board Membersr of ITF based in Vienna
Leslie Hutchison	9th Dan		UK	Executive Board Membersr of ITF based in Vienna
Michael Prewett	9th Dan		UK	Executive Board Members of ITF based in Vienna
Rios Olivero	9th Dan		Argentina	Executive Board Members of ITF based in Vienna
Low Ming Tuck	9th Dan		Australia	Executive Board Members of ITF based in Vienna Grandmaster Low Ming Tuck was born in Malaysia and began his Taekwon-Do training with his father Grandmaster Low Koon Lin in 1967. He came to Perth, Western Australia in 1971 and received his 1st Degree Black Belt with Mr Rhee Chong Chul in that same year. His affiliation with Mr Rhee Chong Chul continued into 1972 where he began teaching at the University of Western Australia. In 1975 Grandmaster Low joined with the late Mr Kim Sok Pong who was residing in Perth. From 1978 to 1984 he taught Taekwon-Do in Port Hedland with Kim´s Taekwon-Do Academy. Upon his return to Perth in 1984, Grandmaster Low established the Low Taekwon-Do Academy which is still strong today. He received his 6th Degree in 1994, in Malaysia with General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Taekwon-Do and was granted his 7th degree in 2000, 8th degree in 2006 and on 25 August 2015 was awarded his 9th degree.
Tan Chek Si	9th Dan		Malaysia	Public Relations Committee of ITF based in Vienna. Secretary General of ITF Malaysia.
Wayne Brown	9th Dan		UK	ITF Spokesperson
George Vitale	9th Dan		USA	ITF Spokesperson GM George Vitale is a Taekwon-Do Grand Master (9th degree blackbelt) and was assigned to the New York State Police security detail in New York City for both New York State Governors George Pataki and Governor Mario Cuomo. He later rose to head a Unit of Troopers in the NYC Executive Chambers of the Governor. He was inducted into the official Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame (Lifetime Achievement Award). He successfully navigated the politics of North Korea, South Korea, and the United States, to bring the historic first group of North Koreans to tour the United States, in an exhibition of the original Taekwon-Do by members of the ITF from the North Korean Taekwon-Do Committee. The efforts he continued emanate from the work of General CHOI Hong-Hi, the acknowledged principal founder by the Encyclopædia Britannica, of the first style or system to be called Taekwon-Do. This work continues under the careful attention of Grandmaster JUNG Woo-Jin, the last of only 7 people to be promoted to the terminal 9th degree in Taekwon-Do by the ITF under General CHOI. The latest results can be seen from the success of the 2018 Winter Olympics, called The Peace Olympics by His Excellency MOON Jae-In of the Republic of Korea. The efforts continue under the ITF and WT, with a Taekwondo Team from South Korea visiting Pyongyang in April 2018, along with a large musical group. The Taekwon-Do Diplomacy of General CHOI, continues to be at the forefront of long time efforts of reconciliation of the Koreas, with a hope to an eventual peaceful reunification, as indicated by the ITF highest or final Pattern, (Tul), created by General CHOI which he named TONG-IL, which is interpreted as reunification. He came to national attention as a New York State Trooper during the World Trade Center attacks on 9-11. In 2009, he was Inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame (Lifetime Achievement Award). Grand Master George Vitale earned his academic Doctorate Degree in Physical Education/Sports Science in Taekwon-do Studies, with the focus on History, in 2011 in North Korea, becoming the first and only American to receive a PhD and achieve this distinction.
Ray Nicolaisen	9th Dan		Norway
Frank Vanberghen	9th Dan		Belgium
PER ANDRESEN	9th Dan		Norway
Clint Norman	9th Dan		Canada	Senior Vice-President of one of three ITF
THOMAS MACCALLUM	9th Dan	1942-	Scotland	GM THOMAS MacCALLUM began training in Taekwon-Do in March 1969 at RAF Changi, Singapore with Instructors Lee Byong Moo (6th. Dan) and Lee Joon Jae (5th. Dan). Promoted to 1st. Dan 4th. July 1971 by Master Han Cha Kyo Founder of 3 TKD Schools in Scotland at Bathgate, Livingston, and Grangemouth and founder of 2 TKD Schools in Austria at Floridsdorf and Donaustadt. Secretary of the AETF from 14 June 1979 until 1985 Under Secretary General of the International Taekwon-Do Federation 1985 Secretary General of the International Taekwon-Do Federation 2002 to 2007 Treasurer of the International Taekwon-Do Federation Honorary President of ITF Scotland
Michael Daher	9th Dan		Australia	Grand Master Michael Daher arrived in Australia when he was fourteen years of age. A hard young man from a hard life, he became interested in practising martial arts for the sake of self-protection. He enrolled in a Tae Kwon-Do school in Surry Hills in late 1972 under Master Young Ku Yun. Michael was modestly active in training for the first five months of his career, but as his technique grew his talent began to emerge as something special. The harder Michael trained the more extraordinary his talent revealed itself to be. In the latter half of 1973 something in Michael clicked. His interest in self-defence turned into a passion for the Art that burned so intensely that his obsession translated into five hours of training, seven days a week! Michael was so committed that some of the people closest to him literally thought he should be. There was an occasion in 1974 where Michael obtained two broken toes during his black belt grading and was unable to walk, that still didn’t stop him from training on the floor in 40-degree heat using his hands only. At this time his family threatened to have him taken for psychiatric evaluation! This is when they discovered his passion and obsession with TaekWon-Do. His social life was nonexistent, and aside from working, sleeping and eating, Tae Kwon-Do was his life. This intense regimen lasted for many years. Michael rapidly rose through the grades. He was awarded an unheard-of double promotion from red-tip (3rd Kup) to black-tip (1st Kup). His extraordinary dedication also made him one of the four colour belts to perform in a demonstration for the founder of Tae Kwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi during his visit to Australia in 1974. Michael attained his black belt in 1975 and has maintained his commitment to technical perfection to this day. He travelled the world in attendance of General Choi’s seminars to sharpen his technique. Over the years he has gleaned first-hand knowledge from the General’s revelations and added his own insights to their meaning. One thing that Michael discovered during his ascendancy was that he was gifted with another extraordinary skill – a special talent for imparting his knowledge to others. He naturally gravitated towards teaching and began his instructing career in 1978. In 1985 he coached his first international squad for the Asia Pacific Championships held in New Zealand, bringing home a silver medal. He has since established himself as Australia’s most successful ITF coach bring home an unprecedented number of medals including Gold in Rimini, Italy in 2001. Incidentally, Michael also coached the Australian team at the XIII Championships held in Poland in 2003. In 1988 Michael started his own club which he called "Il Shim International Tae Kwon Do Academy". His organization has grown rapidly and in less than ten years became one of Australia’s biggest clubs. With 54 affiliated schools in Australia. Under the guise of ITF Australia, Grand Master Michael has hosted scores of amateur tournaments earning his organization the reputation of being fair and efficient, opening its doors to all who would compete under the agreed rules. For many years now Grand Master Daher has been openly regarded as the greatest authority on General Choi’s technique in Australia by General Choi himself. Qualifying accolades come thick and fast with a quick perusal of his career history which follows in the resumé overleaf. Fed up with the politics and petty power plays hampering the growth of his beloved Tae Kwon-Do, Michael resigned from ITF in 1995 to become an independent practitioner and instructor of the art and is the only person in the History of ITF to have his resignation rejected by the founder and grand architect of the art General Choi Hong Hi. Michael’s skill as an instructor was officially recognized with his prestigious induction into Blitz Magazine’s "Martial Arts Hall of Fame" and award the "1996 Australian Tae Kwon-Do instructor of the year". He has made numerous television appearances and featured regularly in Australia’s top martial arts magazines in his tireless promotion of the Tae Kwon-Do technique. Michael travels incessantly conducting technical and instruction seminars Internationally and is recognized as the Prime practitioner of his art in the Indo Pacific region and Oceana. Since the death of General Choi, Grand Master Daher has stepped into the light of his own primacy in the Art, being at the forefront of its Technical development and its promotion. Recent developments in his international stature combined with growing international affiliations to his own teachings (from the middle east right through the Asia-Pacific region) are a testament to the ever-expanding radiation of his formidable reputation.
Robert Lai	9th Dan	1945-	Australia	Compliance, Rules & Regulations Vice President of Chan Hun International Taekwon-Do Federation CHITF . President of CHITF Australia. Started Taekwon-Do under korean Woo Jae Lim brought in by Gen. Choi who was then the ambassador South Korea in Malaysia to instruct the growing numbers of Taekwondoist. 1966 obtained 1st. Degree Black Belt.
Chong Soon Kean	9th Dan		Malaysia	Technical Deputy Chairman CHITF, Former ITF world Champion
A.V.S Bathi Allimuthu	9th Dan		Malaysia	Former World Champion (2007) & International Grandmaster of the Year 2012 Award recipient. Founder of Xtreme Martial Arts
Chee Moon Piow	9th Dan		Malaysia	Malaysia International Taekwon-Do Federation-MITF
Mohd Azwan Khoo	9th Dan		Malaysia	ITF Malaysia
Tan Eng Kiat	9th Dan		MALAYSIA	Grand Master Tan Eng Kiat, started to train Taekwon-Do in 1970 under Grandmaster Low Koon Lin. With over 40 years of involvement in ITF Taekwon-Do, Master Tan has witnessed and experienced the development of ITF TaeKwon-Do in Malaysia in good and bad times. Grand Master Tan was awarded his 9th Degree Black Belt by the International Taekwon-Do Federation on 25 August 2020.
Paul Cutler	9th Dan		UK England	Founder of A.C.E. Taekwon-Do UK 2012 Became the first Grand Master Promoted to 9th Dan by Pioneer Rhee Ki Ha , and is curently The president of ACE Taekwon-Do
Raymond O'Neill	9th Dan		UK England	Promoted to 9th Dan by Pioneer Rhee Ki Ha on 12th November 2016, being the 2nd Grand Master to be promoted by Pioneer Rhee Ki Ha. Currently the Vice-President of ACE Taekwon-Do

Other taekwondo systems(Traditional, ATA, GTF, Chang-Hon/ITF Style, Others etc)

This list includes persons who:

1. have been widely recognized masters of taekwondo 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
Robbins, Gerard E	9th dan	1954–	United States of America	Founded Taekwondo Hall of Fame; first person of African descent to receive 9th dan from Korea	See main article
Cho, Hee-il	9th dan	1940-	United States of America	Founded Action International Martial Arts Association; wrote several taekwondo books	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
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
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
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
Kim, Hong-sik	9th dan	1940-2020	United States of America	GM Kim was an instructor with the Korean National Police, and trained as a member of the Moo Duk Kwan under Sung Park. He immigrated to the US in 1971, founded Kim's United Tae Kwon-Karate Centers and joined the International Taekwondo Federation, and studied under Gen. Choi. In 1973 Gen. Choi attended the first annual Kim's Tae Kwon Do Championship Tournament in Portland, Oregon. GM Kim joined the US Army and later the Oregon Army National Guard, earning the rank of Colonel before retiring. GM Kim later broke away from the ITF at the urging of CK Kim, whom he viewed as one of his mentors, because of the growing influence of North Korea within the ITF. Grandmaster HS Kim was known for his flying kicks, and retained his impressive jumping abilities well beyond middle age. GM Kim personally oversaw the training and promotion of thousands of students during his long career as a TKD instructor. Health complications forced his retirement from actively running the federation he founded, and he named two men – Grand Masters Dwight Douglas Tesdal and David Knife as his titular replacements within Kim's United Tae Kwon-Karate, promoting both men from 8th Dan to 9th Dan before his retirement. Kim's Tae Kwon Do still hosts annual tournaments in the Portland, Oregon, Boise, Idaho, and Renton, Washington areas. Kim's United Tae Kwon-Karate Centers has over 50 member schools spread throughout the Pacific Northwest, and has had schools in Hawaii, Texas, and California. Besides being a long time practitioner of Tae Kwon Do, GM Kim also studied Sumo and Judo, holding a black belt in Judo.
Hwang, Kwang-sung	9th dan	c. 1942–	United States of America	One of the few promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi
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 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Bok_Man
Park, Jung-tae	9th dan	c. 1943–2002	Canada	One of the KTA's 12 original masters	See main article
Sabree Salleh	9th Dan	c. 1950-2022	Malaysia	Founder of Global Taekwon-Do Federation International-GTFI, Malaysian Global Taekwon-Do Federation-MGTF and Sabree's Taekwon-Do Academy. Former Senior Vice President of Global Taekwon-Do Federation-GTF Sabree Salleh is one of a few non-Korean who was personally trained by the late General Choi Hong Hi (The Founder of Taekwon-Do, and Past-President of International Taekwon-Do Federation). Sabree was born in Kangar, Perlis, Northern Malaysia. He started training in martial arts at the age of seven in the traditional Silat Kuntau Melaka, Silat Sending, Silat Gayung, and Thai Boxing. In the early 60’, Sabree began to learn Taekwon-Do from the Korean instructor C.K Choi. He also studied under J.C. Kim Choi Kwang Jo & Choi Yik Seong. In 1970 Sabree further his education at MARA Institute of Technology (ITM) Petaling Jaya, Selangor. There he established ITM Taekwon-Do Club and the Kuala Lumpur Taekwon-Do Association. He taught Taekwon-Do to the FELDA Club, The Eurosian Club, Malayan Banking Club, the Sultan Idris Teachers Training College Club, MARDI Club and the Tun Abdul Razak School (SDAR) Club in Seremban. Sabree formed the Malaysian Taekwon-Do Federation (MTF) and became its first Secretary General. While in Kuala Lumpur Sabree also trained under Lee Byong Moo, Low Koon Lin. He was then hand-picked by General Choi Hong Hi to be his student. While at ITM, Sabree represented MTF demonstration team to Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and Philippines. In 1973, he represented ITF to demonstrate along with the elite members of South Korean Navy Taekwon-Do experts. He continued his education at Glasgow College, Scotland. He became the instructor for Rhee Ki Ha Taekwon-Do Academy and also the instructor for the United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association (UKTA). He continued his Taekwon-Do training under Gen Choi Hong Hi and Master Park Jung Tae in Toronto, Canada With ITF instructors, he conducted training in Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and El Salvador. He also gave demonstration in Northern Ireland, Poland, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. In 1979, Sabree continued his education at Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara California. He founded the Sabree’s Taekwon-Do Academy in Goleta, California and in Tjuana, Mexico. He was the Director for the United States Taekwon-Do Federation (USTF) Western Zone. He was also ITF, Under-Secretary General, Chairman of Public Relation and Executive Director. He was also the council member of North American Taekwon-Do Federation (NATF). He continued his training under Master Han Cha Kyo in Chicago, Lee Suk Ki of Edminton , Canada. With ITF instructors he conducted training and seminars in Puerto Rico, Greece, Italy, Austria, East Germany, Romania, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Russia and Jamaica. In 1982, he was the instructor for USTF team for the ITF Inter-Continental Championships in St. Foy Canada. In 1983 he was an instructor of the ITF Summer Camp held in Montreal, Canada and Vermont, USA. Sabree was the instructor for USTF team at the 4th World ITF Championship in Glasgow Scotland. He was the Chief Referee for the All Europe Taekwon-Do Championship in Budapest, Hungary. In 1984, Sabree completed taking 20,000 photographs for General Choi Hong Hi 15 volumes of Taekwon-Do Encyclopedia. Sabree returned to Malaysia in the early 1985 where he worked full time as a Lecturer, Professor and Dean of University Technology MARA University (UiTM) for 17 years. In 1986, he founded the Malaysian International Taekwon-Do Federation (MITF) and was MITF President and Chief Instructor (1986–1998). He was promoted to 7th Degree Blackbelt in 1989. In 1991 he became the Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Taekwon-Do Federation (APTF). Sabree headed the Malaysian National Team to the ITF World Championships. The 5th in Athens Greece in 1987, the 6th at Budapest, Hungary in 1988, the 7th at Montreal, Canada in 1990 and the 8th at Pyongyang, North Korea in 1992. In 1990 he also headed Malaysian National team to ITF 1st Children Championship in Moscow, Russia and in 1991 at the Asia Pacific (APTF) Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In 1995 and 1997 to APTF Championships in Tokyo Japan. Sabree conducted seminars/demonstration with Gen Choi to New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Uzbekistan and Russia. In 1994 he represented ITF in the Asia Olympic Council Conference in Bangkok Thailand. In 1994, Sabree organized the 9th World ITF Taekwon-Do Championship in Terengganu, Malaysia with 86 countries National teams participated. Malaysia succeeded to attain the 4th place. It was officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Sabree received many awards and medals from the Malaysian Government for his contribution to the Martial Arts. This include two ‘Knighthood’ (Dato’), DPMT in 1994 and DSSA in 1999. He also received the ‘Order of Friendship 2nd Class" from President of DPR Korea in 1994. He is the first non-Korean to receive this award for his contribution in promoting of Taekwon-Do worldwide. He was promoted to 8th Degree Blackbelt by ITF and 7th Degree Hapkido by Korean Hapkido Association, Seoul, Korea. Sabree founded The Malaysian Global Taekwon-Do Federation (MGTF) in 1999 and become MGTF President & Chief Instructor from 1999–2005. MGTF is a National Taekwon-Do Organization registered and recognized by Malaysian Government. He was also The Senior Vice-President of The Global Taekwon-Do Federation (GTF) from 1999–2005. In 2001, after over 45 years of involvement in Taekwon-Do, Sabree Salleh was promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt by Grand Master Park Jung Tae himself of The Global Taekwon-Do Federation (GTF), Canada, and by The Korean Pro-Taekwon-Do Federation (KPTF), Seoul, Korea. Sabree also received 9th Degree Black Belt from the World All style Combat Organization (WASCO), Italy. Currently he is also WASCO Vice- President. In 2005, Sabree with other Malaysian Martial arts senior instructors formed The Malaysian Martial Arts Grand Masters Martial Association (MAGMA). He is now an Advisor/Founder member to MAGMA. Sabree’s was admitted to be a member of WHFSC –THE WORLD HEAD OF FAMILY SOKESHIP COUNCIL (The most prestegious World Grand Master Council) in 2007. He was awarded WHFSC INTERNATIONAL HALL OF FAME AWARD 2008, at WHFSC 16th Annual International Award and Symposium at The Crowne Plaza Hotel, San Antonio, Texas, USA on 24 May 2008.	https://ms.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persekutuan_Taekwon-Do_Global_Malaysia
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
Shipp, Brad	9th dan		USA	President of World Chun Kuhn Taekwon-Do Federation (WCTF). Disciple of Pioneer Supreme Master Kim Bok Man.	{https://www.worldchunkuhntkd.com/about-us/about-world-chun-kuhn-taekwondo-officers/}
Cheah, Wee-hin (Steven)	9th dan		Australia	Founded C.A.T.A Cheah Advanced Taekwon-Do Australia. Promoted to 9th Dan by Grand Master Kong-young IL. He is Considered as one of the fathers of Australian Taekwon-Do, learned TaeKwon-Do in Malaysia under Gen. Choi and C.K Choi.
Oliver, David	9th dan		United Kingdom	Tae Kwon-Do Association of Great Britain (T.A.G.B.) Chairman
Jay "Flying Tiger" Blanton	10th Dan	1959–	United States	Founder of Mang Ho Ryu Tae Kwon Do System in 1993. Tae Kwon Do System was named by the late Grandmaster Kang Rhee, Memphis, Tennessee United States. Grandmaster Jay "Flying Tiger" Blanton has written 2- books on Prevailing Against being bullied,1- book on his Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts system history and his training, and an Anti-Bullying Program for schools, colleges, etc. He has been in many martial arts magazines, newspapers, TV news and talk shows. Has won many awards for his community work with bullying and working with Veterans with P.T.S.D.	Grandmaster Kang Rhee was the Instructor of Elvis Presley and Bill "Super Foot" Wallace and many others. and passed away in August 2019 .
Choi, Yong-sung	9th Dan		United States	Grandmaster Choi, the Founder of Sun Do Sul, has been training for the majority of his life. He is the founder and creator of Sun Do Sul.	2019 USKF Black Belt Hall of Fame Inductee - https://uskido.org/usfkbbhof2019/
Medina, Rafael	9th dan Chang Moo Kwan	1955-	United States/Puerto Rico	8 February 2024 - International Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Class 3 for Puerto Rico (053-0043). 10 April 2017 – 2026 was appointed as the first president of Puerto Rico Taekwondo Chang Moo Kwan. 10 April 2017 – 2019 was appointed as the first president of the U.S.A. Armed Forces Chang Moo Kwan. Under his leadership on 10 August 2019, the first Chang Moo Kwan test was at Intensive Martial Arts, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. The first testers were Ivan Alonso, Edwin Ramos, William Sanchez, Jorge Pardo, Victor Solivan, Johnny Martinez, John L. Martinez, Ashely Serrano, Pedro Cruz, Rafael E. Lopez, William Vargas Sr., Mikael Cruz, Luis Sojo, Miguel Roman, and William D. Vargas. This was achieved thanks to the recommendations of Grandmaster Bobby Clayton and GM Rafael Medina. Medina is an International Instructor certified by Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo Chang Moo Kwan. 2019 was declared by President GM Bongseok Kim of the World Military Taekwondo Committee the First in the U.S. Armed Forces to participate as an Athlete, Coach, and Referee in the World Military Taekwondo Championship (CISM). 2018 International Taekwondo Kyorugi Referee class 2 for U.S.A.. 1996 USATKD Certified National Referee and Coach. 2017 Induced by the Revista de Artes Marciales's Puerto Rico Hall of Fame 2016 Pioneer Award by U.S. Taekwondo Champions (GM James F. Stagen and GM Ron Berry). 2015-2019 President of the U.S. Military Taekwondo Foundation. 2015-2016 and 2019 First to organize the U.S. Armed Forces Taekwondo Reunion 2009 Induced to Taekwondo Hall of Fame and member. 2008–present: Member of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and referee. 2000 - 2020 present: conduct combat and defense tactics training for young people in Hinesville, Georgia. This program is directed by the Liberty County Recreation Department (LCRD). 2000 Retired U.S. Army (22 years of service). 1999-2000 World Class Athletes Program (WCAP) Coach. 1996-2000 Coach the Army and the Armed Forces. 1994–present: President of Sport Taekwondo Center Associates. 1984-1995 National and International player for U.S. Armed Forces. 1975-1977 Open the first karate school in Humacao Puerto Rico. 1976-1977 for the first time introduced karate in Jaguar-San Lorenzo Puerto Rico. 1978 won first place in the Young Brothers team battle TaeKwon-Do Associates. There were four teams of five fighters. Our team had only four fighters for which he fought 16 times, while the other fighters fought only eight times. During his time of competition (Puerto Rico) adopted the name El flaco explosivo (the skinny explosive). 1984-1995 National and International player for U.S. Armed Forces. 1987 2nd World CISM Military TKD Bantam medalist, (first Puerto Rican).	See main article
Minyard, Eddie	9th Dan	1951 -	United States	Grandmaster Minyard has been training in Martial Arts for 50 years. He is a founding principal of SunDoSul. GM Minyard's Rank is recognized by the World SunDoSul Federation; US Kido Federation; International Jun Tong Taekwon-Do Federation; International Taekwondo Federation - HQ; and World Chun Khun Taekwon-Do Federation (8th Dan awarded personally by SGM Kim, Bok Man). He is President of the New Hampshire Chapter of Chun Kuhn Do Federation. GM Minyard was inducted into the USKIDO Black Belt Hall of Fame, in 2020, as Grand Master of the Year. He is also included in Who's Who in American Martial Arts. In 2022, GM Minyard was inducted into the Official Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame, recognizing his Lifetime Achievement in the art.
Ko, Ri-kon	9th Dan	1948 -	United States of America	Former Korean Four-time National Martial Arts Champion, Korean Army Tae Kwon Do Champion, and Instructor, Master Instructor of the Year. Current KS USAT President. Has been instructing Tae Kwon Do for over 50 years	[83]
Helaney, Jeffrey	9th Dan		United States of America	Grandmaster Helaney has been training in martial arts for over 50 years. He is the founder of the United States Kido Federation and holds board advisory positions with the International Jun Tong TaeKwon-Do Federation, the International TaeKwon-Do Federation HQ (USA), and the World TaeSool Association. He has appeared in and/or written for various print, electronic, and video media platforms promoting the TaeKwon-Do and the martial arts.	Complete Bio:https://uskido.org/united-states-kido-federation/home/uskf-black-belts/grandmaster-helaney-bio/
Spillmann, Konrad	9th Dan	1963-	United States	Grandmaster Spillmann has been training in martial arts for over 54 years. He has trained under many top Grandmasters like TaeKwonDo Grandmaster Young Kun Kim, TaeKwonDo Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim, HapKiDo Grandmaster Kwang Sik Myung, and in 2023 he received his 9th Dan from Grandmaster Suk Jung Kim, the founder of TaeKwonDo International in and a former ITF Demo Team captain. Grandmaster Spillmann also holds an ITF 8th Dan, AAU 7th Dan, USATKD 7th Dan, Kukkiwon 6th Dan, a 7th Dan in HapKiDo, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Rocian Gracie, Jr and other high level black belts in several other martial art styles. Over the past 45 years of learning and teaching, Grandmaster Spillmann has taught thousands and has produced many top black belts, instructors, competitors and school owners and has operated many schools in the United States and overseas. He has written several books and was VP of several martial arts organizations over the years. He has also earned many awards, commendations and won many competitions. He also holds many concrete breaking records raising thousands of dollars for charities. His organization currently has branch schools in California, Texas and Tennessee. Grandmaster Spillmann’s family currently operates a large martial arts school in Gallatin Tennessee. https://www.tkdinternational.org/schools.html https://www.phoenixgrouptkd.org https://globalmartialartsusa.com
Youstra, Gregg Dr.	9th Dan		United States of America	Dr. Youstra (retired)is a pioneer of Traditional TaeKwon-Do in the Great Lakes (Chicago Area). He was a student of and one of the first American's to be promoted by Gen. Choi, Hong-hi to the rank of 6th Degree Black Belt. He was promoted to 9th Dan by the United States Kido Federation in 2017.	More Info: https://uskido.org/united-states-kido-federation/home/uskf-black-belts/
Vega, Oralndo	9th dan International Taekwon-Do Federation	1952-	United States/Puerto Rico	GM Orlando Vega, pursued higher education from the Catholic University of Ponce, Puerto Rico majoring in Science and Mathematics and a minor in Physical Education and Spanish History. Upon graduation, he began teaching physical education to junior and high school students. With time, he became exceptional as an instructor and changed his efforts in teaching physical education to mentally handicapped and physically impaired men and women. He has been involved in martial arts for over forty-five years. He began learning Kempo Karate with Sensei Felix Vega from New York. He studied under Sensei Vega for two years. In 1971 he began in Tae Kwon-Do under Master Danny Ortiz at the YMCA in Ponce, Puerto Rico. At the same time, he began in Judo under Dr. Ricardo Paranos. He began practicing both martial arts at the same time and achieved his black belt in 1976. He was the president of the Catholic University Judo Club and earned a gold medal in 1974 during the inter-college games (LAI) in the 139-pound division. 1977 he started practicing with the International Taekwon-Do Federation under the Young Brothers and his president GM Young-il Kong and the president in the Island, Master Benny Rivera. 1979 - 1984 was acting as the vice-president for the Young Brothers I.T.F. in Puerto Rico. He led Puerto Rico's Taekwon-Do team from 1974 – 1986 in national, international, and world championships. He represented the Taekwon-Do team eighteen times in international events and won first place twelve times. From there, he won eight times as a Grand Champion in the heavy weight division amazingly weighing only 140 pounds. He was also a winner in breaking techniques and patterns or forms. He represents Puerto Rico in Venezuela, United States, Canada, Scotland, Virgin Islands, Domican Republic, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. 1984 was the Puerto Rico team coach in the world Championship in Scotland. The Puerto Rico team won third place in the world. 1983 received from his city mayor, an award of "The Best Athlete in Taekwon-Do" 1986 join the United States Navy. While he on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Over three hundred U.S. Navy and Marines participated in his program. He created the Teddy Roosevelt Taekwon-Do team. 1991 served in the Desert Storm War for the liberation of Kuwait. Grandmaster Vega holds a 9th Dan with the International Taekwon-do Federation, 6th Dan in O.S.C. Ho Sin Sool (Street Self Defense), 5th Dan in Korean Hapkido, 5th Dan in World Taekwon-Do Federation, 4th Dan in O.S.C. Mu Ki-Do (Korean weapons) and a Black Belt in Judo. President of Oriental Sports Center Association. Records Taekwon-do Martial Arts Instructor in Ponce, Puerto Rico- 1976-1987 Taekwon-do and Self Defense Master Instructor in the U.S. Navy -1988-1991 Taekwon-do Martial Arts Master Instructor Norfolk, Virginia- 1991-2000 Taekwon-do and Self Defense Master Instructor Elizabeth City State University, NC-2006-2013 Taekwon-do and Self Defense GM Instructor Elizabeth City, NC 2005–2021 Awards 1976 Best competitor of the year presented by P.R. Karate Institute Ponce, PR 1981 Best Athlete of Taekwon-do presented by the City Mayor of Ponce, PR 1982 Best competitor of the year presented by Young Brothers Bayamón, PR 2007 Instructor of the year presented by Panam TKD Council 2009 Instructor of the year presented by Panam TKD Council 2010 President of the United States TKD Council (U.S.A. –I.T.F. NGB) 2013 Hall of Fame for the World Greatest Martial Arts Master 2015 Pioneer of the Martial Arts on 70's award in Puerto Rico 2015 President of the International Taekwon-do Federation UNION in America 2015 Chairman of Promotion of the International Taekwon-do Federation UNION 2016 vice-president of the International Taekwon-do Federation UNION 2017 Worldwide Taekwon-do Hall of Fame official induction. 2018 President & Founder of the International Taekwon-do Federation the Americas 2019 Who's is Who in The Legends of Martial Arts Hall of Fame Competition: 1974 International Karate Championship Guaynabo, PR (3rd Place Open Division) 1975 Ponce Open Karate Championship Ponce, PR (1st Place H/Weight) 1975 S. Henry Cho Karate Championship New York, NY (3rd Place) 1976 S. Henry Cho Karate Championship New York, NY (1st Place) 1977 International Young Brothers Championship Bayamón, PR (2nd Place L/Weight) 1978 Caribbean Karate Championship Saint Croix, VI (1st Place H/Weight) 1979 1st International Henry Cho TKD Championship San German, PR (1st Place H/W) 1980 General Choi Cup, Suk-jung Kim TKD New York, NY (1st Place) 1981 2nd International Full Contact Championship, Venezuela (1st Place H/Weight) 1981 1st International Richard Chung Championship, Ponce, PR (1st Place H/Weight) 1981 2nd International Open championship, Buffalo NY, (1st Place H/Weight) 1982 Intercontinental Cup Quebec Canada, (3rd Place M/Weight) 1985 International TKD Championship Guatemala (3rd Place H/Weight) 1986 Navy Taekwon-do Games (1st Place M/Weight)	See main article
Radicioni, Louis	9th Dan		United States of America	Grandmaster Radicioni is a lifelong student of Grandmaster Robert Dunn and vice-president of the International Jun Tong TaeKwon-Do Federation. He is a multiple Hall of Fame inductee and frequent seminar instructor. He has traveled all over the world teaching and training students in Traditional TaeKwon-Do.	More info: http://www.juntong-taekwondo.com/index.php/the-jtf/administration
Gibson, Darin	9th Dan	1966-	Canada	Promoted to 9th Dan by Taekwondo Pioneer and Grand Master Chang-Keun Choi 9 July 2022 after physical testing (not bestowed). President of UTTC - United Traditional Tae Kwon-Do Canada. Involved in Taekwondo for 40 years. Actively instructs traditional taekwondo to students of all ranks.
Lees, Bill	9th Dan	Unknown	United States
Rickie Low Ah Kuan	9th Dan	1952-	Malaysia	Founder and President Chan Hon Taekwon-Do International -CHTI
Ng Hooi Lai	9th Dan		Malaysia	President of Pan-Malaysia Global Taekwon-Do Federation-PGTF
Peter Timik	9th Dan		Malaysia	President Sri Singai Taekwon-Do ITF
Ally Teoh Cheng Hoe	9th Dan	(1938–2018)	Malaysia	Founder and President of Ally's Dojang Combat Taekwon-Do	https://www.theitc.club/page-35/
Scott McNeely	9th Dan		USA	Co-Founder and President of World Taekwon-Do Alliance-WTA Former Co-Founder of Global Taekwon-Do Federation-GTF As a fifteen-year old student of Taekwon-Do,GM Scott McNeely began his Taekwon-Do career in Hot Springs, Arkansas under Mr. Robert Hardin. Today, with a forty-three- year teaching career that is ongoing, Grand Master Scott McNeely enjoys status as one of the highest ranked, active practitioners of Taekwon-Do who does not have a Korean heritage. Noted as being the "Youngest Instructor to have achieved the 9th degree Black Belt from the original pioneers of Taekwon-Do". His communication skills, charisma, and commitment to the martial art are unprecedented and are a source of continuing inspiration to his students and the living pioneers of Taekwon-Do. Some highlights of Grand Master McNeely’s career include the following: 1972 – Earned 1st Degree Black Belt 1973 – Began teaching in Benton, Arkansas 1975 – Founded the first Taekwon-Do training school in Fort Smith, Arkansas 1981 – Assumed the role of Regional Chief of Instructor for the American Taekwon-Do Federation as a 4th Degree Black Belt. 1983 – Assumed the role of Vice-President, United States Taekwon-Do Federation 1986 – Began training with Grand Master Cho, Pung Que 1986 – In Houston, Texas, trained with the Founder of Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi 1986 – Inducted into the International Karate Hall of Fame with Bill "Super Foot" Wallace 1987 – Coached and led the first USTF Team to compete internationally at the 5th ITF World Championships in Athens, Greece. 1990 – Assumed the role of President of the United States Taekwon-Do Federation 1990 – Co-founded the Global Taekwon-Do Federation 1990 – Began training with Grand Master Park Jung Tae in Toronto, Canada 1990 – Developed the USTF Instructor Training Manuals. 1994 – Assumed the role of Secretary General of the Global Taekwon-Do Federation 1994 – Demonstrated at the GTF World Championships in Sardinia, Italy, unveiling a new pattern designed by Grand Master Park. 1994 – Along Grand Master Park, served as GTF ambassador throughout Europe and North America. 1994 – Tested under Grand Master Park Jung Tae for 7th Degree Black Belt in Toronto, Canada. 1994 – Led a training excursion comprising fifty-one black belts to Yong In University in Seoul, South Korea to train with the gold medal Olympic Fighting Team 2002 – Tested under Grand Master Park Jung Tae for 8th Degree Black Belt in Hot Springs, Arkansas during the USTF Grand Nationals. 2002 – Formed the World Taekwon-Do Alliance after the death of Grand Master Park Jung Tae. 2004 – Assumed the role of USTF Chairman. 2004 – Assumed the role of President, Legacy Unity Vision Films, LLC, an entity founded to produce a feature length documentary on Taekwon-Do 2005 – Met and began training with Grand Master Kong Young Il. 2005 – Assumed the role of Vice-President, International Chang Hon Taekwon-Do Federation. 2006 – Tested for 9th Degree Black Belt before the Pioneers of Taekwon-Do in Las Vegas, Nevada during the First WTA Tournament. 2006 – Assumed the role of Executive Vice-President of the newly organized World Taekwon-Do Alliance. 2010– Attended the Taekwon-Do World Championships in Teleford, England. 2019- Assumed the role of President of the World Taekwon-Do Alliance.
Jason Wadley	9th Dan		USA	President of United Taekwon-Do Alliance- UTA, Grandmaster Jason Wadley began his martial art training in 1980. Dedicating himself to martial arts, Master Wadley has achieved many prestigious awards and commendations. Grandmaster Wadley began training in Little Rock, Arkansas under the direction of Grand Master H.U. Lee of the American Taekwondo Association. 1990 he began training under Grand Master Scott McNeely and then Grand master Park Jung Tae of the Global Taekwo-Do Federation. After Grand master Parks passing he began to train under Grand Master Kong Young Ill of the World Taekwon-Do Alliance. After being promoted to 8th Dan by the then current president of the WTA (Grand Master Robert H. Hardin) GM Kong Young Ill and GM Nam Tae Hi, he began training under Grand Master Clinton Robinson of the United World Taekwondo Association. Grandmaster Wadley owns and operates his own independent organization in the United States. It is the United Taekwondo Alliance. the organizations has over one hundred schools in its network. Master Wadley serves on committees with various organizations to help unit and grow taekwon-Do world wide. A few acoloades : 2017 – Re-elected President of the United Taekwondo AllianceMaster Wadley is also: Hosted 2016 IIC – Dallas, Texas Completed level 3 Kukkiwon masters course (Atlanta, GA. Became certified test examiner – Kukkiwon (Chicago, IL) Taught special black belt camp – England Traveled to Korea to help Grand Master Lee yoo sun with special project Special award of recognition form Grand Master Jae Kyu Chon – President Moo Duk Kwan One of the founding members of IUTF. Became USA Vice President of International Taekwon-Do union. Awarded special citation from Grand Master Lee Yoo Sun of the International Taekwondo – Home Co- authored the book: Bully Busters vol. 4. Ranked number 1 on Amazon best sellers list. 2016 – Master Wadley became the International Vice President of the International Taekwon-Do home. Promoted to 5th Dan – Weeping Willow style Jujutsu – Under O’Sensie Berl Parson and Master James Wadley Appointed as Vice President for North America under the International Taekwon-Do Federation Union. Promoted to 8th Dan – Chung Do Kwan Featured on cover of Taekwondo Times magazine for the second time on September issue. Conducted seminars in Cork Ireland Certified Kukkiwon Test examiner Coach 2015 Team to ITF World Championships Received special life time achievement award from International Taekwondo Federation 2015 – Traveled back to Korea for 60th Anniversary of Taekwondo Traveled to Tanzania and Zanzibar spreading good will for Taekwondo Traveled to Korea and Vietnam training Serves as member of the board-Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame Became member of the US Grand Masters Society Coach of USA/UTA Taekwondo team – Orlando, FL. Featured in Taekwondo Times magazine (June) Inducted in the Master’s Hall of Fame 2014 – Became member of the US Grand Master’s Society Promoted to 7th Dan (Kukkiwon) Featured on the cover of Brazoport Best magazine March issue Featured on the cover of Taekwondo Times magazine September issue 2013 – Coached USA/UTA team to win gold at the ITS World Championships held in Glenrothes, Scotland. Promoted to 8th Degree Black Belt 2 November 2012 (Moo Duk Kwon) 2012 – Promoted to 4th Degree Black Belt in Weeping Willow Style Jujutsu 2011 – Head Coach of USA/UTA Taekwondo Team USA Event in Tulsa, OK. 2010 Head Coach of UTA/USA World Taekwondo Team – England 2009 Licensed Body Guard through the State of Texas, 2008 Became President of the United Taekwondo Alliance Authored three books on defense tactics EBBP Formed Homeland Defense Tactics 2007 Became Director of Training and Technical Advisor for United Taekwon-Do Alliance Promoted to 7th degree Black Belt in Taekwondo Became certified in Homeland Security level III Developed the Executive Black Belt Program 2006 Appointed to Membership Director USTF Formed Black Belt Management consulting 2005 Became Vice President United Jujutsu Alliance Promoted to 3rd degree Black Belt Jujutsu 2004 Inducted into the Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame Instructor of the Year USTF 2003 Appointed Secretary General USTF (1 year term) Won National Leadership Award USTF# Inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame 2002 USTF Ambassador award 2002 Coach USTF/WTA competition team Promoted to 6th Degree Black Belt TKD 1998 Appointed Regional Director South Texas USTF / 2000 2nd Degree Black Belt Jujutsu Certified Instructor Certificate – Spontaneous Knife Defense Course MARS 1996 Gold Medal GTF/USTF Goodwill Championships North Little Rock, AR Promoted to 5th Degree Black Belt TKD Gold Medal GTF World Championships St Louis, MO 1st Degree Black Belt in Weeping Willow Style Jujutsu Bronze Medal European GTF World Championships, Sardinia, Italy# 1995 Became Vice President Martial Arts Management Systems Appointed Board of Directors USTF USTF National Champion Gold Medal USTF/GTF World Championship Moscow, Russia 1994 Gold Medal GTF Goodwill Championships North Little Rock, AR 1992 Silver Medal sparring First GTF World Championships – Oslo Norway 1991 Gold Medal at Pan-American Games in Buenos Aries, Argentina 1990 Started working with Master Buddy Hudson at Little Rock Taekwondo Started JuJutsu under Berl Parson 1989 Promoted to 4th Degree Black Belt Taekwon-Do Awarded "Most Prestigious Instructor" award ATA by Grand Master H.U. Lee Earned black belt in Karate 1989 Won Second National Championship 1988 Moved to Alexandria Louisiana to take over ATA school First trip to train in Korea and part of the American/Korean Demo Team Appointed Regional Director Louisiana and Mississippi Appointed Regional Chief of Instruction ATA Promoted to 3rd Dan Certified Instructor –Pressure Point Control Tactics 1987 Promoted to Chief Instructor Lee’s TKD Little Rock Arkansas university school location Opened first Taekwondo club in Otter Creek, Arkansas 1985 2nd Degree Black Belt and ATA National Champion Ranked #2 in the USA in the ATA national point standings. 1984 Became Certified Taekwon-Do Instructor -America Taekwondo Association 1983 1st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo under Grand Master H.U. Lee and brothers In Ho and Jee Ho Lee. 1980 Began Training in Little Rock Arkansas. President – United Taekwondo Alliance International Vice president – International Taekwon-Do – Home founding member / Executive committee – International Taekwon-Do Federation Union USA Vice President – IUTF Member – Chung Do kwan Member – U.S. Grand master’s Society Member – Kukkiwon Member – Moo Duk Kwan Member – USA-T / AAU Member – World Martial Arts hall of fame – Universal Martial Arts hall of fame – Masters Hall of fame indecteeHistory of Master Wadley’s training A member of the Mason’s / Scottish Rite 32 degree International Rotary club Texas State Guard a. Staff Sargent – E6 b. Recruiter c. Basic orientation instructor d. Expert marksmanship badge e. Meritorious service medal f. Medical Emergency management Specialist badge g. Longevity award h. Humanitarian medal i. Graduate with honors – Advanced Non commissioned officers academy j. Life member award – State guard association of Texas Life member – State Guard association of the United states Life member – Association of the United States army
Jamie Moore	9th Dan	1966-	Australia	Founder and President Worldwide Taekwon-Do
Robert Dunn	9th Dan		USA	Founder of International Jun Tong Taekwon-Do Federation-IJTF. Grandmaster Robert Dunn History Grandmaster Robert Dunn started his martial arts training in (2) Japanese styles of karate called Go-Ju and Shorei. 1969, Grandmaster Robert Dunn was exposed to a new and exciting Korean martial art called Taekwon-Do. 1970, Grandmaster Robert Dunn opened his first Taekwon-Do school. 1987, Grandmaster Eung Choon Ahn, the President of the Hae-San Martial Arts Association certified Grandmaster Robert Dunn as an International Judge. 1988, Grandmaster Robert Dunn was inducted into the International Karate Hall of Fame by Dan Soward president of the International Karate Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, NV 1989, Grandmaster Robert Dunn was contracted to teach the Art of Taekwon-Do to Peruvian troops in Lima, Peru. 2009, on 21 February Grandmaster Robert Dunn was promoted to Grandmaster 9th. Dan Black Belt by Grandmaster Eung Choon Ahn in Macon, Georgia 2013, Grandmaster Robert Dunn was inducted into the Black Belt Karate Hall of Fame by Jeff Helaney the president of the Black Belt Hall of Fame in Omaha, Nebraska 2013, Grandmaster Robert Dunn establishes a European International Headquarters in Crawley, England under the direction of Master Keith Finch, International Vice-President of the JTF. 2013, Grandmaster Robert Dunn establishes a Caribbean International Headquarters in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico under the direction of Master Alfredo Hernandez, International Vice-President of the JTF. 2013, Grandmaster Robert Dunn establishes JTF International schools around the world 2014, Grandmaster Robert Dunn is Recognized by the Black Belt Hall of Fame and Awarded the Pioneer & Legends Award from Grandmaster Jeff Helaney. 2016, Grandmaster Robert Dunn is Recognized by the Black Belt Hall of Fame and Awarded the Founder's Award from Grandmaster Jeff Helaney 2017, Grandmaster Robert Dunn is Inducted into the Official Taekwon-Do Hall of Fame and Recognized as a Pioneer of Taekwon-Do in the New York City Ceremony. 2018, Grandmaster Robert Dunn is Appointed as Secretary General of the World Taekwon-Do Alliance (WTA) by Grandmaster Kong Young Il at the International Headquarters in Manila, Philippines. 2018, Grandmaster Robert Dunn was inducted into the 2018 Who's Who in Martial Arts in a Ceremony in Washington, DC. 2019, Grandmaster Robert Dunn was selected to be inducted into the "The Book of Grandmasters", sanctioned by the United States National Grandmasters Federation. 2019, Grandmaster Robert Dunn was Honored in the 2019 "Who’s Who" in Martial Arts in a ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada.  2019, Grandmaster Robert Dunn attends the Taekwon-Do Hall of Fame Ceremonies in Bangkok, Thailand with 4 of his students that have become Grandmasters for their Induction. 2020, Grandmaster Robert Dunn received the General Choi Hong Hi Award from Australia for being an Outstanding Grandmaster. 2021, Grandmaster Robert Dunn was featured on the cover of Totally TaekwonDo Magazine, June edition 147. 2022. Grandmaster Robert Dunn takes a team of IJTF Master Instructors to Puerto Rico to Conduct Seminars & Black Belt Testing’s. 2022, Grandmaster Robert Dunn attends the Taekwon-Do Hall of Fame Ceremonies in Jersey City, New Jersey along with 6 of his students in support of their induction. 2022, Grandmaster Robert Dunn establishes a Regional Headquarters in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for the International JTF. Grandmaster Robert Dunn has held steadfast to the traditional teachings of Taekwon-Do and its original Chang-Hon patterns, in order to preserve the Art of Taekwon-Do in its traditional form for coming generations.
Massar, Frank	9th dan	1958–	United Kingdom	Founded Massar Taekwondo Association	See main article
Ko, Ri-kon	9th Dan	? -	United States of America	Grandmaster Ko is an incarnation of martial arts excellence.  His life demonstrate a never-ending pursuit of perfection: Korea Yudo Martial Arts College (former Yongin University) 1968 Korean National Martial Arts Champion 1965–1968 Korean Boxing State Champion. 1967 Korean Army Tae Kwon Do Champion.  1969 Korea Army Tae Kwon Do instructor, Vietnam War (White Horse Division) 1969 Demonstrator for the World Tae Kwon Do Federation.  1972 Captain of Yudo Martial Arts University Demonstration Team.  1973 Instructor of U.S. Army General Staff Collebe, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 1976–1979 International Referee, 3rd Annual World Tae Kwon Do Championship, Chicago, IL 1977 Founder of Ko's Black Belt Academy, Independence, MO 1979 Master Instructor of the Year Award, Martial Arts Times magazine. 1980 Instructor of KC Royals Baseball players (Larry Gura, Willie Wilson, U.L. Washington, and Willie Akins 1983–1985 U.S. National Team Coach of Pan American Games. 1985 U.S. National Tea Ambassador for Martial Arts Summit, Seoul Korea 1987 Founder of Ko's Black Belt Academy, Overland Park, Kansas 1990 US Tae Kwon Do National Team Manager 1994 Kansas USAT 2011, President	[83]
James Lim Ching Shing	9th Dan		Canada	Founder and President Advance Taekwon-Do International-ATI
Mario Pons	9th Dan		Spain	Founder and President of International Traditional Taekwon-Do Federation-ITTAF
Mel Steiner	9th Dan		USA	Founder International Chi Taekwon-Do Organisation -ICTO
James Benko	9th Dan		USA	Founder and President International Taekwon-Do Association-ITA
Ricardo Dasimone	9th Dan		Argentina	Founder & President International Taekwon-Do Organization-ITO
Howard Y. Kang	9th Dan	1931-2021	USA	Founder International Chin Mu Kwan Taekwon-Do Federation-CTF (USA)
Kwan, Jae-Hwa	9th Dan	1937-	Germany	Grandmaster Kwon, Jae-Hwa was born in 1937 in Pusan, a large harbor town in South Korea. He began practicing the martial arts in his youth and soon made notice of himself through his exceptional talents. In Hae, Dea-Yeong, 6th Dan, Kwon found a devoted mentor and coach who was totally devoted to the advancement of his students. Upon completion of college studies in journalism, Kwon, Jae-Hwa was employed by Pusan IIbbo, the town's largest daily news publication. But his life's main commitment was still in his martial art (now under the name Taekwon-Do). At age 24 he was Chief Instructor (highest ranking coach) of the Yonmu-Kwan Taekwon-Do Schools. In 1964 he was appointed to the post of Association Technical Director for the Taekwon-Do department at public schools - as well as private Taekwon-Do schools and Universities in the Pusan region. Grandmaster Kwon, Jae-Hwa is the active functionary in both of these positions until this very day. In 1965, Korea's Goodwill Mission to Germany was led by General Choi and his top four instructors at that time, Cha-Gyo Han, Joong-Keun Kim, Jong-Soo Park and Jae-Hwa Kwon.
Paco Beloso	9th Dan		Argentina	Technical Director of Global Taekwon-Do Federation-GTF Hq Russia
Alexander Gongadze	9th Dan		Georgia	Vice-President of the Global Taekwon-Do Federation (GTF) based in Ukraine, Head of the Certification, Technical and Disciplinary Committees of the Global Taekwon-Do Federation (GTF)
ANG KEE WAH	9th Dan	1962-	Malaysia	VICE President Technical of MGTF, VICE President 1 of Persatuan Taekwon-Do Pahang (GTF)
Xuan Ha	9th Dan		Germany	Founder and President of Global Taekwon-Do Federation Union-GTFU

See also

• Original masters of taekwondo