FYI. Kukkiwon

[abzack]

I have seen alot of comments about the high fees charged by Kukkiwon. I live in Seoul, Korea and we do not pay such high fees. If you are tested by the appropriate grade instructor, fill out the application for dan grade and get the instructor to sign it. Then you mail it in and they deliberate (I believe this means they check the Dan certificate of the instructor who signed your application) and then issue you Dan/Poom certificate. 1st Dan costs $70 at Kukkiwon.
I have added links to the Kukkiwon site (English) for the International Division that lists the fees for each Dan/Poom grade, and also to the Articles for Regulation For Promotion Tests. These are the minimums that Kukkiwon requires.
Also, to verify Dan grade, just submit name, date of birth, and nationality.

Regulation For Promotion Tests
International Division (Fee Schedule)

Korean Martial Arts Dojang

 

[Disco]

Mabey the information was misquoted. The high fee's do not come from the Kukkiwon. Their fee structure has been shown. The problem comes from the Instructor tacking on his fee. For an Instructor to submit an application for Dan ranking to the Kukkiwon, he must be at a Masters level (4th Dan). The majority of WTF schools (in America) are headed by high ranking Masters from Korea or they are affiliated with same. This is were the high fee's come from. Should an American arrive at a Masters level, he will/has undoubtedly continued with the same format. In Korea where TKD is considered (if I'm not mistaken) a national sport, are the fee's fair. The rest of the world is a different story.
:asian: