Manipur BJP legislator first Indian to receive 5th Dan in traditional taekwondo

Former Manipur Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, has become the first Indian to receive the 5th Dan black belt in the traditional taekwondo art style.

He received the 5th Dan certificate from Mayong Suk, the vice president of the Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation (GTTF), at the organisation’s office in Seoul on Tuesday (December 30, 2025), more than a year after earning the degree after a promotion test.

The certificate was issued by six taekwondo grandmasters led by Jun Jee, the president of the GTTF, the highest body of the Korean martial art form in its traditional style. The traditional form differs from the Olympic taekwondo by focusing more on comprehensive self-defence, hand techniques (punches and blocks), and low stances.

Mr Singh earned the 5th Dan in October 2024, but could not go to the South Korean capital to receive it due to the ethnic conflict in Manipur.

The Seoul-headquartered Sangrok World Taekwondo Academy, which functions under the World Taekwondo Federation and has 70 branches across the globe, lauded Mr Singh for his dedication and contribution to the martial art form.

“He has played a pivotal role in spreading taekwondo in various parts of India,” the academy’s technical director, Grandmaster Chang Seong Dong, said.

Mr Singh, 62, started practising taekwondo when he was 16 and founded the All Assam Taekwondo Association in 1982. He was one of the pioneers in the promotion of taekwondo in Manipur.

He was also recognised in the early 1980s as a key figure in popularising the martial art as a sport and forming the Taekwondo Federation of India.