Koryo

Quick Facts

About the kata

Koryo is the first poomsae that Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo assign to black belts. Kukkiwon reads its name through the word Seonbae: a strong martial spirit joined with a scholar's upright spirit, passed down, it says, from Goguryeo through Balhae to Koryo. The word combines "Ko", meaning high, and "Ryeo", meaning elegance, connection and passage; Kukkiwon adds that Ryeo can also mean shining, dignified and splendid. The poomsae's line follows the symbol 士, scholar. Kukkiwon places it right after the Taegeuk series: whoever has grasped the eight basic forces there learns, in Koryo, to direct power of an entirely new dimension, joining the body jeong, the energy ki and the mind shin. Phoenix Taekwondo counts 30 movements made of 50 techniques, to be practised with restrained force and grace; British Taekwondo's competition rules give the same 30 movements. Per Taekwondo Compendium, the kihap sounds twice, on the third strike and the final arc-hand strike. Grading placement differs: Taekwondo Compendium lists it for 1st dan, Phoenix Taekwondo tests it for 2nd dan.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

The name belongs to the Korean Koryo dynasty, which, according to British Taekwondo's competition rules, ruled from 918 to 1392 and from which the English word Korea is derived. Both the English Wikipedia and the same rules base the poomsae's interpretation on Koryo's resistance to Mongol invasions and require every movement to carry the same resolve. Phoenix Taekwondo adds that during the Koryo period Korean martial arts were unified into a single system; we have not been able to find another source for this claim.

Creator and history

The master poomsae, in Korean terminology yudanja poomsae, were created, per Doug Cook (YMAA), between 1965 and 1967, alongside the color-belt Palgwae series. A committee of kwan representatives compiled them: Keun Sik Kwak and Hae Man Park (Chung Do Kwan), Young Sup Lee (Song Moo Kwan), Kyo Yoon Lee (Han Moo Kwan), Jong Myung Hyun (Oh Do Kwan), Soon Bae Kim (Chang Moo Kwan) and Chong Woo Lee (Ji Do Kwan). The set then included the original Koryo, Keumgang, Taebaek, Pyongwon, Sipjin, Jitae, Cheonkwon, Hansu and Ilyeo; Taekwondo Compendium adds that until 1972 Pyongwon and Ilyeo were called Baekjae and Silla. Per Cook, eight of these forms are still recognized today by Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo; the original Koryo is not among them. Alongside the Taegeuk series, it was replaced by a wholly different form of the same name, beginning with a knife-hand block in back stance and two side kicks at different heights. Taekwondo Compendium dates this change to 1971 and calls the older version Old Koryo; Cook states the Taegeuk series arose in 1972. In ITF taekwondo a different system is practised, the tuls of General Choi Hong-hi. Among them was the similarly named tul Ko-Dang, which, per the English Wikipedia, Choi Hong-hi dropped from the curriculum and replaced with the tul Juche.

In competition

The World Taekwondo competition rules in force since 30 September 2024 list Koryo among the compulsory poomsae in every age category, from cadets (12–14 years) through juniors to the oldest adults, for individuals, pairs and teams alike. British Taekwondo, in its rules from June 2025, adds it even to the youngest category, Peewee.

Competition status

• Taekwondo WT (Olympic) – WT Taekwondo — Compulsory routine · Cadets, Juniors, Seniors, Veterans · team events too · valid from 9/30/2024 ↗

In grading syllabi

• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 2nd poom
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 3rd poom
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 4th poom
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 2nd dan
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 3rd dan
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 4th dan
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 5th dan