Belt Ranking System
The use of colored belts originated in Japan at the turn of the 20th Century, introduced into the martial arts by Jigaro Kano (founder of modern Judo) and has since been widely adopted by modern martial arts. This stemmed from Kano's earlier adaptation of white kyu (grade, gup in Korean) and black dan (level or degree) ranks to distiguish between beginners and advanced practitioners. He adopted that from the traditional method of ranking skill in the 2000 year old stratigic board game "Go" (wéiqí in Chinese).
The colors in the belt ranking system signify “Growth in Knowledge”.  The belt colors chosen in San Kil Tang Soo Do are originally based on Hwang Kee's (founder of Moo Duk Kwan) philosophy for growth in knowledge.  Study the meaning of each belt color and you will better understand and enjoy the feeling of growth as you progress in rank.
Belt Color	Season		Meaning
White	Winter		Hidden potential, emptiness
Gold*	Winter Thaw		Awareness of potential (finding gold)
Orange*	Early Spring		Desire, planting seeds for success
Green	Spring		Growth, advancement, life, balance
Red	Summer		Ripening, heat, active, yang
Midnight Blue	Autum		Harvest, cool, passive, yin, maturity, success, endless potential
* Originally Tang Soo Do only used White, Green, Red and Midnight Blue. The Orange belt was added in 1975 and the Gold belt in 2005 as a means of improving student motivation and retention.
Minimum Time Requirements for Rank
Rank	Belt & Uniform			Minimum Time		Total Time
10th Gup	White belt; plain white uniform			2-3 months		2-3 months
9th Gup Low	Gold white stripe; plain white uniform			2 months		4-5 months
9th Gup Mid	Gold black stripe; plain white uniform			2 months		6-7 months
9th Gup High	Gold blue stripe; plain white uniform			2 months		8-9 months
8th Gup Low	Orange white stripe; plain white uniform			2 months		10 months
8th Gup High	Orange black stripe; plain white uniform			2 months		1 year
7th Gup	Orange blue stripe; plain white uniform			2 months		14 months
6th Gup	Green white stripe; green trimmed lapel			4 months		1-1/2 years
5th Gup	Green black stripe; green trimmed lapel			4 months		22 months
4th Gup	Green blue stripe; green trimmed lapel			4 months		26 months
3rd Gup	Red white stripe; red trimmed lapel			4 months		2-1/2 years
2nd Gup	Red black stripe; red trimmed lapel			6 months		3 years
1st Gup	Red blue stripe; red trimmed lapel			6 months		3-1/2 years
Cho Dan Bo	Solid red belt; red trimmed lapel			6 months		4 years
* Instructors may award blue "tips" to end of belt to signify progress and eligibility to test for next rank. Progress to first Dan Testing is approximately 4 years.

Minimum Time Requirements for Dans
The use of Midnight Blue is unique to Tang Soo Do (and Soo Bahk Do) attributed to Hwang Kee. The Midnight Blue Belt is worn as a symbol of the wearer's humility (kyum son) and reminds one that perfection cannot be attained, the Black Belt in this instance being a symbol of perfection. Hwang Kee chose not to have a black belt in his system because it is a finite color - it cannot get any darker, hense it represents the end of a journey. A martial artist, on the other hand, never stops evolving.
Degree	Belt & Uniform			Minimum Time		Total Time*
Cho (1st) Dan	Midnight Blue; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			2 years		6 years
Ee (2nd) Dan	Midnight Blue with 2 white tips; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			3 years		9 years
Sam (3rd) Dan	Midnight Blue with 3 white tips; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			4 years		13 years
* Total times listed include time to reach Cho Dan.
Minimum Time Requirements for Ko Dan Ja
The use of Midnight Blue with a red stripe signifies re-igniting the fire within and achieving balance between Um and Yang. It's use started in 1960 and symbolized Neh Gang Weh Yu or Strong Inside, Gentle Outside Um/Yang philosophy. Martial artists who achieve these ranks are considered Masters of their art.
Degree	Belt & Uniform			Minimum Time		Total Time*
Sa (4th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			5 years		18 years
O (5th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			6 years		24 years
Yuk (6th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			6 years		30 years
Chil (7th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			6 years		36 years
Pal (8th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			7 years		43 years
Ku (9th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim			7 years		50 years
* Total times listed include time to reach Cho Dan.