Is There A 10th Dan In The Moo Duk Kwan®?

In 1945 the Moo Duk Kwan^® was founded by Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee. Hwang Kee was the first member of the Moo Duk Kwan and became Moo Duk Kwan Kwan Jang Nim.

When the Moo Duk Kwan was founded, the belt rank system was different from the one we are familiar with today. Gup ranks originally included White, Green, and Red belts.  The Orange belt was added in 1975 to provide additional advancement between White and Green belt.

In 1948 the first Dan members were promoted by the Founder and the path through Dan ranks was officially begun.  At that time the Founder looked ahead and anticipated adult members could progress as far as 9th (Gu) Dan.

Over the decades the average age of new members has continued to decrease, resulting in Ko Dan Ja member attaining senior rank (8th & 9th Dan) while still relatively young and capable of continuing to train for decades. The number of Ko Dan Ja eligible for senior rank are also increasing. There even exist cases where an instructor and student may attain the same rank in the future. The need has arisen to establish criteria for advancement of senior Ko Dan Ja beyond 9th Dan.

Three advancements of the Moo Duk Kwan^® will address these needs:

1. Establishment of 10th (Sip) Dan as a formal Dan rank
2. Extending minimum time requirements for 8th, 9th, and 10th Dan
3. Establishment of a Senior Ko Dan Ja (8th, 9th, 10th Dan) Questionnaire to validate a member’s readiness to be considered for rank promotion.

1) Establishment of 10th Dan as a formal Dan Rank

• Effective January 2021 the Moo Duk Kwan will add 10th Dan as a formal rank.
• 10th Dan rank shall continue to be reflected by midnight blue belt with a red stripe down the center.
• There will not be any additional title associated with 10th Dan.
• Members who earn the rank of 10th Dan will be the highest reflection of the master model of a Sa Bom.

2) Revised minimum time requirements for 8th, 9th, 10th Dan
Effective January 2021 Moo Duk Kwan rank requirements will be amended to:

• *7th Dans require a minimum of 9 Years additional training to be time eligible for 8th Dan
• *8th Dans require a minimum of 10 Years additional training to be time eligible for 9th Dan
• *9th Dans require a minimum of 12 Years additional training to be time eligible for 10th Dan

Note: Time eligibility alone does not assure recommendation for advancement to next rank.

3) Senior Ko Dan Ja Questionnaire

• The purpose of the following questionnaire is to gather information for Kwan Jang Nim and TAC to take in to consideration when determining whether or not a senior candidate’s accomplishments are adequate to be considered for rank advancement.