Kuk Sool Won franchise

2022 filing · March 1, 2022

Kuk Sool Won at a glance

A Korean martial arts school teaching Kuk Sool Won. At the end of 2021 there were 95 Kuk Sool Won locations in the US, all franchised.

The business

Industry: Sports; Also listed in fitness and education
Franchisor: WKSA, LLC; The company that sells the franchises
Who runs it: Owner; An owner must run it day to day
Franchising since: 2008; 14 years of selling franchises
Franchisor based in: Magnolia, Texas
Typical size: 1,000–2,500 sq ft

What you pay

Cost to open: $20K–$71K; A full-time Kuk Sool Won school
Franchise fee: $20,000; For a full-time school; a part-time school is $4,000
Royalty: 1%; 1% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus a $200 annual fee
Brand fund: Yes; Up to 1% of gross sales, paid monthly
Agreement length: 5 years
Territory: Limited; Limited protection
Franchisor financing: None offered
SBA Franchise Directory: Not listed; Lenders check this list before an SBA loan

Where it is

US locations, 2021: 95; Franchised and company-owned
Franchised: 95
Company-owned: 0
States: 21; Most in California, Texas and Illinois

Support and records

Shares sales figures: No; Ask current owners what a location makes
SBA loans approved: 1; 2013
Lawsuits disclosed: Yes
Bankruptcy disclosed: None
Latest filing: Mar 1, 2022; 2022 filing

From WKSA, LLC’s 2022 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.

Estimate your costs Model the payback

Where it ranks

Kuk Sool Won among all franchises with the same figure.

Figure	Kuk Sool Won	Among all franchises
Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate	$45,550	Costs less than 97% of franchises
Franchise feePaid once, when you sign	$20,000	Lower than 89% of franchises
RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor	1%	Lower than 100% of brands with a set rate
US locationsFranchised and company-owned	95	More than 76% of franchises

How much a Kuk Sool Won franchise costs

Opening a full-time Kuk Sool Won school costs an estimated $20,300 to $70,800. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the franchises under $30K.

Source: WKSA, LLC, 2022 filing, page 13

Kuk Sool Won franchise fee

The franchise fee is $20,000, for a full-time school; a part-time school is $4,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.

Source: WKSA, LLC, 2022 filing, page 10

Royalty and ongoing fees

Royalty	1% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus a $200 annual fee.
Brand or marketing fund	Up to 1% of gross sales, paid monthly.
Transfer Fee	$500 per FT or PT School.

The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.

Source: WKSA, LLC, 2022 filing, page 11

Other fees as filed, from page 11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.

Sales and earnings

No figures Kuk Sool Won does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.

Source: WKSA, LLC, 2022 filing, page 31

SBA loans to Kuk Sool Won franchisees

Lenders approved one SBA 504 loan for a Kuk Sool Won franchisee in 2013, for $298K. It was paid in full.

A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.

Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026

How Kuk Sool Won compares

Of the 120 sports franchises on this site, Kuk Sool Won is the 3rd cheapest to open and the 27th largest by number of locations.

Figure	Kuk Sool Won	Typical sports brand	Typical franchise
Cost to open, low end	$20K	$227K	$222K
Cost to open, high end	$71K	$442K	$477K
Franchise fee	$20K	$50K	$40K
Royalty	1%	7%	6%
US locations	95	15	21
Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs	−12.8%	+38.5%	–
Shares earnings figures	No	77 of 120	2,147 of 3,352

Typical is the median across the 120 brands in sports franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.

Locations opened and closed

2019

104 (−5)

2020

100 (−4)

2021

95 (−5)

Year	Franchised	Company-owned
2019	104 (−5)	0
2020	100 (−4)	0
2021	95 (−5)	0

Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.

See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.

More in the guides: fitness franchise costs and franchise failure rates.

Source: WKSA, LLC, 2022 filing, page 32

Source filing (2022, PDF)

Where Kuk Sool Won locations are

At the end of 2021, Kuk Sool Won had franchised locations in 22 states and territories. The most are in California, Texas and Illinois.

California23
Texas19
Illinois8
Arkansas6
South Carolina5
New York4

State	Franchised
California	23
Texas	19
Illinois	8
Arkansas	6
South Carolina	5
New York	4
Indiana	3
Louisiana	3
Michigan	3
Ohio	3

All 22 states

Oklahoma	3
Arizona	2
Florida	2
Maryland	2
Missouri	2
Colorado	1
District of Columbia	1
Iowa	1
Massachusetts	1
Minnesota	1
North Dakota	1
Washington	1

Source: WKSA, LLC, 2022 filing, page 33

Who owns Kuk Sool Won?

Kuk Sool Won franchises are sold by WKSA, LLC.

From WKSA, LLC’s 2022 filing.

Lawsuits and bankruptcy

Lawsuits and regulatory actions	Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 9–10.
Bankruptcy	None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed.

Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.

Source: WKSA, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on pages 9–10, bankruptcy on page 10

Source filing (2022, PDF)