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# The MOO DUK KWAN 무덕관 and Tang Soo Do  당수도 - Part V
- URL: https://www.themudoledger.com/the-moo-duk-kwan-mudeoggwan-and-tang-soo-do-dangsudo-part-v/
- Published: 2026-08-04T12:30:46.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-04T12:30:45.000Z
- Description: The Organizational Landscape: Tang Soo Do After the Moo Duk Kwan
- Author: Brent Harshbarger
- Tags: History, Moo Duk Kwan, Tang Soo Do

## The Organizational Landscape: Tang Soo Do After the Moo Duk Kwan

## The Principal Independent Organizations

The departure of practitioners from the official Moo Duk Kwan over several decades — combined with the natural tendency of martial arts organizations to fragment along personality, technical, and philosophical lines — produced a landscape of dozens of Tang Soo Do federations and associations worldwide, each with distinct lineage claims, curricular variations, and governance structures. The most significant are documented here. 

| **Organization**                                 | **Founded**                           | **Key Notes**                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **World Tang Soo Do Association (WTSDA)**        | Founded 1982 (orig. 1968)             | Largest Tang Soo Do org worldwide; founded by Jae Chul Shin (Dan Bon #698), direct student of Hwang Kee; over 160,000 members; HQ Burlington, NC; uses Sae Kye Hyung as beginning forms instead of Kicho.                            |
| **U.S. Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation**     | Chartered 1976                        | The official continuation of Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan in the U.S.; teaches Soo Bahk Do, not Tang Soo Do; now led by H.C. Hwang (Dan Bon #509); holds the registered trademark on "Moo Duk Kwan."                                     |
| **World Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation**    | Founded by Jae Joon Kim (Dan Bon #38) | Established first Tang Soo Do Federation in the U.S.; operated independently of the official MDK; eventually relocated HQ to Brandon, FL.                                                                                            |
| **American Tang Soo Do (Norris lineage)**        | Founded 1966                          | Developed by Chuck Norris combining MDK Tang Soo Do with Judo and other systems; governed first by NTC (1973), then UFAF (1979). Norris later transitioned to Chun Kuk Do; many former students continue American TSD independently. |
| **International Tang Soo Do Federation (ITSDF)** | Founded 1984                          | Founded by C.S. Kim (Dan Bon #915) in Monroeville, PA; trademark registered 1996; one of several independent federations operating in parallel.                                                                                      |
| **Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan**                      | Founded by Charles Ferraro            | "American Brotherhood of the Empty Hand Defense"; 35+ schools; classic martial arts focus on scientific and aesthetic principles; independent Moo Duk Kwan lineage.                                                                  |
| **National Tang Soo Do Alliance (NTSD)**         | Founded 1986                          | Founded by Dan Nolan, Dr. Cliff Johnson, and others; one of many regional/national organizations maintaining independent Tang Soo Do traditions.                                                                                     |
| **Pan American Tang Soo Do Federation**          | Founded 1986                          | Founded by Chong Su Kim; focuses on Pan American Tang Soo Do community; endorses Kukkiwon curriculum alongside Tang Soo Do traditions.                                                                                               |

 **In Part VI**, Technical Distinctions: Tang Soo Do vs. Soo Bahk Do Today

**Scholarly Note**

The proliferation of Tang Soo Do organizations: The extent of organizational fragmentation in the Tang Soo Do world is documented in the Chronological History of Tang Soo Do in the U.S.A. — a practitioner-maintained record that lists dozens of federations, associations, and independent schools founded between the 1960s and 1990s. This fragmentation is both a challenge (no single governing authority, significant curriculum variation) and an expression of the art's vitality (each organization reflects genuine lineage and regional adaptation). A 1989 Black Belt Magazine article — "A House Divided: The Broken Family of Tang Soo Do" — documented the political divisions even in that era.