May 16, 2026 (Mexico)– Dai-won Moon, the legendary Grandmaster, and Father of Mexican Taekwondo passed away today at 83  years old.   

Grandmaster Moon, “Gran Maestro“, a Korean immigrant to Mexico,  educated in the United States, brought and popularized modern Taekwondo in Mexico since his arrival there in the late 1960’s.  Grandmaster Moon saw the possibilities of using Taekwondo to improve the lives and athletics of the Mexican people and built a monolithic empire through his vision and national network.   Today Taekwondo is one of the most popular sports practiced in the country, and Mexico is a force to be reckoned with in the international Taekwondo arena.

He led Mexico from a time when people did not know the difference between Taekwondo and Karate to a time when Mexico formed its own National Taekwondo Federation and participated in the World Championships.  He worked towards building a Mexican taekwondo identity and funding the journeys of Olympic hopefuls in Mexico.  Millions of people practice Taekwondo in Mexico today as a direct result of the foundations laid by Grandmaster Moon.

Grandmaster Moon’s passing immediately resulted in international condolences being expressed around the Global Taekwondo community and heartfelt mourning throughout his adopted home of Mexico.

On a personal note I had the honor to meet and sit and eat and talk with Grandmaster Moon in recent years at a Kukkiwon international event.   He was gracious, humble, good humored, and filled with wonderful stories, of which I was only able to hear a few.  My life is better for sitting with a man who not just taught Taekwondo, but lived its value and virtues.

Details of any services will follow.

–Master Marc Zirogiannis