All Black Belt’s gained through North Lincolnshire Taekwondo and Kwanjangdo are officially registered in Korea at the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Kukkiwon whether they are Poom or Dan grades and as such all are Internationally Recognised. The time period of applying to Kukkiwon and receiving certification can be varied however the normal time period is approximately 3-4 months. If you are unsure if you are Kukkiwon registered click on the above Links tab, then select Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters. There you will find “check for Poom/Dan”- Just enter your Nationality, Name and Date of Birth.
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Kukkiwon Dan is officially recognised Taekwondo Dan, and it is issued at the World Taekwondo Headquarters, Kukkiwon through a fair screening process. Kukkiwon Dan is issued to people through a thorough examination, and the people acquired Kukkiwon Dan will be registered at Kukkiwon. Only people have acquired Taekwondo Dan through Kukkiwon will be eligible to participate in Olympics and other events. You will receive an honourable treatment from Taekwondo practitioners according to your Dan, and you can be qualified to teach Taekwondo through our teaching programs. On the other hand, general Dan is designed and issued by privates and unofficial groups to get the same privileges as the Kukkiwon Dan. These General Dan is not registered at Kukkiwon, and an honourable treatment can not be expected. Also, pupils are not eligible for Kukkiwon Dan.
Worthless?- Maybe. Recognised?- Not by the ones that matter. I‘m sure your earned this milestone in martial arts using the best of your abilities in a thorough grading. The personal gains of achievements can be similar, however imagine this. A person opens a Martial Arts School in Taekwondo, then self promotes to an alleged Master grade, then teaches Taekwondo how they see fit without any formally recognised certification to prove he knows what he is teaching. Within a short period of time this man has taught 50+ people to Black Belt- for them to pass on. Within a 5 year period there are hundreds of people teaching what they don’t know to be true or the right way. Standards slip and Taekwondo as an Art suffers due to the pursuit of notoriety or money. I know this example seems a bit extreme, but Kukkiwon is there to ensure Taekwondo standards are monitored and maintained world wide. If you hold a Kukkiwon Dan/Poom grade you are internationally recognised for International and World Championships and such monumental events such as the Olympics.
See the previous Question above. If you intend to join a WTF style Taekwondo Club and instructors are claiming to be a certain grade, ask them to bring their Kukkiwon certification or Kukkiwon identification card (credit card size) into class. They will be the stated grade as shown on the card or certificate. If they only have certification for their grade from another organisation, do your homework and check if it is recognised Worldwide and especially by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF)
