True sword

Jinkum (진검, jingeom) is the true sword: a real sword made of steel or another metal suited to blades, with a sharpened edge. It is contrasted with the wooden sword (목검, mokgeom), the bamboo sword (죽도, jukdo) and the unsharpened aluminium sword (가검, gageom).

• A Korean dictionary defines it as a large, long sword with a blade.
• A Korean sword retailer defines it as a sword with a standing edge. It defines the gageom as a sword in shape only, without an edge.

In kumdo. One source says kumdo techniques were originally conceived with the jingeom in mind. Once the body has adapted to it, techniques practised with the jukdo can be used with the true sword.

• The true sword feels heavier than the jukdo or mokgeom. This can lead to a bad habit of pulling with the right hand before striking.
• A real steel sword is very dangerous to practise against another person, even with protective gear. For that reason practice uses the jukdo and mokgeom.
• The mokgeom is closest in shape to the true sword and helps in learning its characteristic techniques. The jukdo has no curvature and a round cross-section, so it cannot teach techniques that use different parts of the blade.

Ownership in Korea. The Korean sources consulted say a sword-possession permit is needed to own a true sword. One retailer explains that the sword law turns on blade length and material rather than on whether there is an edge. According to that retailer, aluminium or zinc-alloy training swords that cannot be sharpened can be bought without a permit.