This study aims to analyze the institutional structure and operational practices of the Korean Baduk (Go) dan–kyu promotion examination system, diagnose its structural problems, and propose directions for improvement. The dan–kyu system has histor...
This study aims to analyze the institutional structure and operational practices of the Korean Baduk (Go) dan–kyu promotion examination system, diagnose its structural problems, and propose directions for improvement. The dan–kyu system has historically functioned as a core institutional mechanism for officially certifying players’ playing strength. However, in contemporary Korea, the system has become structurally bifurcated, as the Korea Baduk Association and the Korean Baduk Federation administer examinations based on separate regulations and operational frameworks. As a result, the meaning and skill level associated with identical dan–kyu ranks are not interpreted consistently, generating confusion among examinees, instructors, and parents, and undermining the fairness and credibility of the skill certification system.
Through theoretical examination, this study conceptualizes Baduk playing strength not as a simple aggregation of technical proficiency, but as a composite performance ability encompassing cognitive judgment, strategic thinking, and psychological regulation. From this perspective, dan–kyu promotion examinations should not be designed merely as procedures for determining wins and losses or granting qualifications, but rather as educational assessment processes that comprehensively evaluate whether examinees have achieved the performance standards required at each level.
Based on this theoretical framework, the study conducted a qualitative analysis using semi-structured expert interviews to examine the actual operation of the current dan–kyu examination system. The findings indicate that the problems of the system are not limited to isolated operational deficiencies, but constitute structural issues spanning the entire system. These issues were categorized into two overarching domains: the examination system and examination management. At the system level, major problems included the dualized strength-rating framework, examination methods that fail to reflect level-specific characteristics, ambiguity and inconsistency in evaluation standards, insufficient qualification and management of examiners, and the lack of enforceability of examination regulations. At the operational level, structural problems were identified in arbitrary application and certification procedures, opaque test material management and scoring processes, the absence of formal appeal mechanisms, ineffective central oversight, and non-transparent management of examination fees.
In addition, the study confirmed that the current heavy reliance on match outcomes reduces playing strength to simple win–loss results, thereby failing to adequately capture the examinees’ cognitive processes and strategic decision-making abilities. This limitation undermines the validity of assessment outcomes and highlights the need for a fundamental transformation of the evaluation structure.
In response to these findings, this study proposes two principal directions for reform: the standardization of the playing-strength assessment system and the establishment of a robust operational and management framework. These reforms aim to clarify the concept of playing strength and evaluation criteria, while providing an institutional foundation that enables standardized assessments to function reliably in practice.
In conclusion, this study contributes to the field by diagnosing the problems of the Korean Baduk dan–kyu examination system as structural inconsistencies among strength concepts, evaluation standards, and institutional operations, rather than as isolated operational flaws, and by reconstructing the system from an educational assessment perspective.