Article originally featured in September 1984 Issue #12

From a neighborhood where violent gangs prowled the streets of Seoul, Korea, this modern-day warrior has fought for his dreams and is making them all come true.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview Bobby Kim-martial artist, film star and fellow Denverite. I had screened his latest film, “Manchurian Avenger” through the courtesy of the film’s producers and was anxious to interview in person, the dynamic man that I had just seen on the screen.

T. COTTER:

Mr. Kim, I know you are very busy and I couldn’t help but wonder how you still manage to teach Tae Kwon Do?

BOBBY KIM: 

I have always loved to teach and I make the time. I’ve seen Tae Kwon Do change people. I’ve seen kids develop con­fidence, and because of the confidence, their self-image became better, and they became better people in general.

T.C.: 

Do you feel that Tae Kwon Do has influenced your life?

B.K.:

Tae Kwon Do is a large part of my life and has been for many years. I grew up in Seoul, Korea. My father had been killed in the war, and one brother and one sister were also killed. It was a very bad time. I was a young boy of fourteen, small 

for my age, and had no one to .protect me from some of the violent gangs that prowled my neighborhood. It was at that time that I began to study Tae Kwon Do with a wonderful old master. Within three years I had attained the black belt rank and none of the kids in the neighborhood bullied me or my family.

T.C.: 

What were your goals after you earned your black belt? 

B.K.:

Well, I wanted to go to the Korean Military Academy which is equivalent to America’s West Point, and someday be a gen­eral in the Army. I passed all the tests, but my eyes were not good and I was not accepted into the academy. I was very disappointed-it was then I decided to be in films.

T.C.: 

What made you think that you had the talent to be in films?

B.K.:

Well, in studying Tae Kwon Do, I learned that through con­centration and hard work, I could do what I wanted and be who I wanted to be. 1 learned to never give up.

T.C.: 

How did you begin your acting career? 

B.K.:

First, I enrolled in college to study English. I attended Woo Suk University which is now Korea University. I paid for my education by teaching Tae Kwon Do to the soldiers of the Seventh Infantry Division. Even with this work, it was difficult to help my family and pay for my education, so, in 1967, I trained very hard and competed in the Korean National tour­nament. I won a gold medal, but most importantly, I won an athletic scholarship to the University I was attending. I graduated in 1968.

T.C.: 

What brought you to the U.S.? 

B.K.:

(Laughing) An airplane. Well, I made friends from the Seventh Infantry and they suggested that I should come here. So, in January, 1969, I left Korea for a job in Orlando, Florida. When I arrived I was both amazed at this new land and sad because I missed my homeland. For two months I ate nothing but chicken-nothing. There were no Koreans or Korean res­taurants in Orlando and chicken was all that I could cook. Finally-after two months of chicken, I moved to Washing­ton D.C. where my sister was living. I’ve never eaten chicken since I left Orlando and I doubt I ever will! 

T.C.: 

How did you like Washington D.C.? 

B.K.:

Washington was much better for me because it is a very international city. I opened my own school with the help of my friends. I met Bruce Lee in Washington. 

T.C.: 

Was Bruce Lee a famous film star at that time? 

B.K.:

No, not at that time. Bruce had been in some films, but he was primarily interested in the martial arts. He came to my school and we talked for many hours about fighting styles and techniques. He was a very talented man and we became friends and trained together. He was an inspiration for me ‘as an actor, and I was very sad when he died.

T.C.: 

Why did you leave Washington and move to Denver? 

B.K.:

I had a friend, Chuck Sereff, who since then has become a very successful competitor in the martial arts. He is a very talented martial artist and is also in our picture, “Manchurian Avenger”. Most importantly, he is my good friend. Anyway, Chuck was starting a school in Denver and he asked me if I would come and teach at his dojang. He came to Washington and we drove together to Denver.

T.C.: 

That’s a two thousand mile drive, did you enjoy the trip? 

B.K.:

I was just amazed! We drove and drove and the land always rolled on in front of us. It was only then that I realized how large and rich this land was-I mean the industry and the large farms. I had never seen things on such a large scale and it just went on and on. After many hours crossing the plains, I could see the Rocky Mountains, a hundred miles away on the horizon in front of us. Two hours later, we stopped on the outskirts of Denver and I looked at the mountains. It was similar to my homeland of Korea, but the mountains here were so much higher.

T.C.: 

What were your impressions of Denver once you began teaching here? 

B.K.:

I liked Denver. Chuck and I taught constantly. I would drive seven hundred miles a week teaching. That’s over half-way across Korea. I taught at the dojang and at the Air Force Academy. We gave a demonstration to the top brass and they decided to make the training available to the cadets.

T.C.: 

It’s ironic that when you were young you wanted to attend a military academy and after many years, you were teaching at the Air Force Academy, one of the U.S’.s most prestigious training grounds for future military leaders. 

B.K.:

I never thought of it that way. I enjoyed teaching those men and they were excellent students. I want my son to go there. 

T.C.: 

Where else have you taught in Denver? 

B.K.:

Well, Chuck Sereff and I taught at the University of Denver, the University of Colorado at Denver, Colorado State Uni­versity, the Denver Police Academy and the Aurora Police Academy. These were exciting times for me because we were bringing Tae Kwon Do, an ancient art which is the national sport of Korea-to this new country, and the U.S. loved Tae Kwon Do. 

T.C.: 

It sounds as though you were very busy at that time. Had you forgotten your goal of having a movie career? 

B.K.:

No. I always knew my opportunity would come, but I was so excited about this new country and all the good people I was meeting and I was learning so much that becomming a “star” was secondary. But then something happened to put me back on the track to being in films. I was chosen as a coach for the American team at the first Tae Kwon Do Cham­pionships in Korea. At that time, my brother, Richard, was a very well respected, award winning screenplay writer in Korea. When I went to Korea for the Championships, he introduced me to Tai Soo Kim, who was then President of the Tai Chang Entertainment Company, and is now in politics in Korea. Tai Soo Kim was making a motion picture entitled, “Showdown of Death”, and had heard about me from my brother, Richard. They did a screen test and decided I should star in the picture.

TC.: 

Was the picture successful? 

B.K.:

“Showdown of Death” was very successful and made a lot of money. After that, I was asked to perform in ten more pictures with Tai Chang Entertainment; I agreed to do four more. After finishing those films, I did another five for various companies in Hong Kong and Indonesia. Then-I was tired, I needed a rest. I had been in ten pictures in six years which is a lot of work. I had traveled perhaps twenty times be­tween the U.S. and the Orient during this time. I was offered a part in a picture with Robert Vaughn, who was very popular in the U.S. from his role in the TV series, “Man from UNCLE”. Keenan Wynn was another star in this picture which was called, “Lucifer Complex”. From this experience, I learned the difference between Eastern and Western made pictures. You know, America has lost its prominence in some fields, like auto manufacture, but throughout the world, America is the premier filmmaker.

T.C.: 

At this point you had made pictures in Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the U.S. What was your next goal? 

B.K.:

My brother, Richard, and I wanted to make an “American­made” martial arts picture. He had written a good story and we began contracting film production companies. Based upon our experie-nce in films made in other countries, we esti­mated that the budget to make a film from Richard’s story would be between one hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand dollars. We found that to make an American-made movie, we would need over one and one half million dollars. 

T.C.: 

I just watched your latest film, “Manchurian Avenger”, and I must say it’s one of the most exciting and realistic martial art films I’ve ever seen. Why are the fight scenes so much better in your film than in other martial art films? 

B.K.:

I as in charge of selecting the people to act in the fight scenes. I wanted people that had extensive martial arts training. 

TC.: 

Why? 

B.K.: 

For realism and safety. The fight scenes required perfect timing and choreography. That kind of required discipline can best be learned through training in the martial arts. Each of the “Four Winds”, the villians I fought in “Manchurian Avenger”, is a black belt. Song Ki Chon is a talented point fighter and full contact competitor. Karl Nicoletti is a black belt and a fantastic kicker. Larry Sheperd is a well known and powerful full-contact competitor. Richard Ochiuzzo is also a black belt; we call him “Mad Dog”. 

TC.: 

And Bill Wallace? 

B.K.:

Yes, Bill Wallace plays the leader of the Four Winds. Bill is an extremely talented individual. Rrst, he is a black belt and undefeated world champion fighter and additionally, he is an experienced actor through his _work with Chuck Norris. Bill and I worked closely in order to get the realism you mentioned in the fight scenes. His help was very valuable. 

It is very expensive to create the quality you see on the screen in “Manchurian Avenger”. The film is set in different time, which you must recreate. That means costumes, sets, locations, et cetera, et cetera … It’s a heavy action picture which means shooting the shot from several angles and then picking the best in the editing. Also, we custom-made the sound of each and every punch and kick in the film. We tested different sounds searching for what sounded real. When you saw the film you didn’t notice this, but you feel it-that’s what makes the picture exciting.

T.C.: 

“Manchurian Avenger” will be released this summer; do you have plans for another film? 

B.K.:

We have several projects we’re working on right now. The 

next picture is entitled, “Black Mountain Fury” and we’re finalizing plans for that production in the near future. It’s an ambitious project, the- most exciting film yet! 

T.C.: 

Could you divulge a little of the plot of “Black Mountain Fury”? 

B.K.:

Well, its a contemporary piece that takes place in New Mexico, San Francisco and Chicago. Its theme is good versus evil­you’ll have to see the film to find out the rest, but it’s a very good story. 

T.C.: 

If you could have any actor that you wanted in Black Mountain Fury, who would you choose? 

B.K.:

Charles Bronson, I really admire him. I alsQ think that Lee Van Cleef is a very, very fine actor. 

T.C.: 

Has anyone ever told you that you resemble Charles Bronson? 

B.K.:

Oh,. yes! Many people have told me that. 

T.C.: 

What do you hope to accomplish in the next ten years? 

B.K.:

I want to succeed in martial art pictures as an actor and as a producer. I was executive producer on the “Avenger”. I also want to learn to speak English more fluently. Being born in another country handicaps me in my film career, but I keep trying to improve my English and I’m not giving up! 

T.C.: 

Do you ever plan to return to Korea? 

B.K.:

When I am an old man I want to return to Korea and do something for my homeland. I don’t know what I’ll do, but it will be something to help my countrymen. 

T.C.: 

How do you hope to be remembered?

B.K.:

You know, an animal leaves his skin, but a human being leaves only his name and reputation. I am working very hard to be remembered as a good actor and a good martial art­ist. If people think those things of me, I will be happy with the way I lived my life.

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https://mookas.com/news/18426 (Mookas article)

The post First Time Mookas News interviews Grandmaster Woojin Jung May 21,2022 appeared first on TaeKwonDo Times.

In 1969, GGM Kang and his family immigrated to the US and opened his first TKD school in Brooklyn, NY. Having brought Taekwondo to America, GGM Kang was an organizational force for the art, holding leadership positions as Vice President of the ITF (International Taekwondo Federation, 1977-83), and the first President of the ATA (American Taekwondo Association, 1969-78) before founding and directing the ATF as President (American Taekwondo Federation, 1978-95). His pivotal contributions to Taekwondo were recognized in 2009 via his induction into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame.

Throughout his career, the number of his students is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, including thousands of black belts promoted under his guidance. GGM Kang’s legacy is continued through his three sons, whom have all achieved Grandmaster status. GM Tae Sun Kang has continued to spread the art of Taekwondo with multiple locations in New York, including the largest Taekwondo school in New York City, where he is currently an active teacher and mentor to his students, both new and experienced, in the Kang Family system (https://www.tkangtkd.com/).

Services for Great Grandmaster Kang will take place Saturday February 5th 2022 at:
Kim’s Funeral Home
1601 Palisade Ave
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
(201) 313-0777

Sahbumnim Mark B. Jones, PhD (5^th Dan Student of GM T. Kang)

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The first ever US women gold medal .  Anastasija Zolotic is the 1st women in the US to women gold medal in Taekwondo.  Hopefully this win will boost the spirit of Taekwondo  in the US to become more popular combat sport compared to boxing and MMA.

Photo credit – Associated Press

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The post March 2021 – Digital Edition Go back in time, read about Taekwondo legends Hee IL Cho, Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger and others. appeared first on TaeKwonDo Times.

Local websites showed a video of Gulsanam Alijonova, 23, who has trained in boxing, karate and taekwondo, in which she chased and beat two men aged 30 and 33.

The video, shot in June, was shared and discussed on social media, but on Sept. 8 the Interior Ministry said it had identified the woman and launched a criminal case against her for hooliganism.

The following day, local news website Daryo ran an interview with Alijonova who said the conflict started when one of the two men ridiculed her T-shirt and shorts outfit and went on to insult her when she rebuked him.

Alijonova said the man grabbed her T-shirt when she confronted him, prompting her to employ her fighting skills, and his companion tried to intervene.

A number of bloggers and public figures, including Saida Mirziyoyeva, the influential elder daughter of the president, criticised the move to prosecute Alijonova, contrasting it with a lenient attitude shown in the former Soviet republic towards domestic violence committed by men against women.

The post Charges Dropped Against Woman Trained in Martial Arts appeared first on TaeKwonDo Times.

Liliana Herbert was originally inspired by Captain Tom Moore as he walked around his garden to raise almost £30 million for the NHS.

Wanting to do her part, Liliana, also known as Lil, decided to follow in Captain Tom’s footsteps, but put her own twist on it and include her love for taekwondo in the fundraiser.

Starting on Friday April 17, Lil originally decided to do 72 lengths of her garden every day doing different taekwondo kicks, setting a target of £500. But, when she already met her target in a couple of days, she decided to up her challenge, taking it to 100 lengths a day. After working it out, she will be covering more than four miles over the entire fundraiser, which finished on Sunday, April 26. Liliana has raised £764 on her JustGiving page, which will go to NHS Charities Together.

Liliana trains with Humberside Tae Kwon-do, and is currently a red belt and a world champion in the sport for under 14s, winning in a team event with another member of the same club.

Speaking about her fundraiser, Liliana said: “I was inspired by the old man who is 99-years-old who was doing laps around his garden for the NHS.

“So I thought I’d do something similar but with taekwondo and also raise some money as well.

“I’m amazed at how much we have made, I didn’t think we’d get over £100. Thank you to everyone that has donated.

“It’s really good to do and I enjoyed it, but my legs do hurt a bit afterwards. It’s worth it for a good cause like this though!”

Liliana’s mum, Laura Herbert, added: “She is part of a group that does taekwondo. With everything going on at the moment with coronavirus and the lockdown, she wanted to do something for the NHS.

“She was inspired by Captain Tom Moore and his walks across the garden for the NHS, so she decided to do taekwondo kicks across her garden to put her own spin on it.

“She originally set out to do 72 lengths a day, equalling out at around three miles, but with hitting the target in a couple of days, she upped her challenge to 100.

“That’s going to be the equivalent of four miles worth of kicks, which is a big ask for an 11-year-old!

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Over the course of my amateur and professional taekwondo career, I earned more than 130 medals in 40 countries, competing in national, regional and international events. At the height of my career, I was ranked No. 3 overall in my weight class by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). In 2013, I became the first woman of Arab, Egyptian and African descent to be inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame.

Looking back at my accolades, you might think I had it all. But as an Egyptian paving the way for women athletes like myself, especially in a male-dominated sport, the journey was not always easy.

When I first got hooked on taekwondo, I was 10. At the sports club in my neighborhood, I would watch an older girl practice taekwondo with a team. And I thought, “I want to be like her. I want to do what she’s doing.” Shortly thereafter, I joined the team. Back then, it was rare to see girls in a sport that was deemed “aggressive,” but my parents have always encouraged and supported me.

At first, I would get beat up pretty hard. But it made me stronger. It made me tougher. It gave me the drive that I needed to keep practicing. And above all else, I just wanted to beat the girl who I had watched from the sidelines. I had that target in mind from day one, and I wasn’t going to stop until I did. I eventually beat her, and then set my sights on bigger and better competition, traveling around the world and competing at the highest level in the WTF.

This drive has been in me throughout my career. And it’s the reason I kept pushing to be the best. It’s also the reason I never listened to murmurs that a girl shouldn’t be competing in this “aggressive” sport. But beyond that, it’s also the reason that I didn’t let an incident in 2011 end my career.

I’ll always remember it vividly. It’s hard not to.

Nine years ago, I was unexpectedly under investigation for suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs. As a professional athlete, I was accustomed to drug testing. It was part of the process. The World Anti-Doping Agency regularly asks for samples from athletes. I provided the necessary tests. I knew I was clean, like always. But, months later —which felt like a lifetime — the Egyptian Taekwondo Federation (ETF) and WTF told me my results were positive.

“It’s not true. This is impossible,” I remember saying. There was no way my test could come back positive.

Six months later, the WTF banned me for two years. I felt as if the world fell out from underneath me. I didn’t have the opportunity to defend myself or plead my case. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, I have the right to be provided sample lab results, the opportunity to test my sample and the right to a hearing and to challenge the WTF’s evidence. After talking to my parents, who I knew would support me, I had to take matters into my own hands.

Eighteen days after the WTF suspended me, I cold-called one of the best lawyers I could find in the United States — Paul Greene — who has worked with Olympic athletes such as Michael Phelps. Under Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) rules, an appeal must be filed within 21 days, so I had to act fast. I told him I had been found guilty of doping by the international agency governing my sport without a reliable drug test or hearing. It didn’t take long for Greene to see through the WTF’s case.

We appealed it to the CAS in Switzerland in the summer of 2011. During that process, it was determined that my lab samples were manipulated during the original testing process and as a result, were deemed unreliable evidence. The court ordered the taekwondo organization to lift its punishment and pay me $20,000 (for litigation fees) — the highest compensation ever paid for this type of case.

I never felt more relieved in my life.

After that incident, I competed for five years before officially retiring. It was time to use my experience as a professional athlete to help others. And in December 2015, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi appointed me to the Egyptian Parliament. I became its youngest member at age 29.

I’ll never forget that feeling of not having the opportunity to defend myself and then having to pursue justice on my own.

In my role with Parliament, one duty is dedicated to laws and policies related to the rights of athletes like me. I have proposed the creation of a unit under the ministry of youth and sports that specializes in protecting Egyptian athletes who need representation.

As sports become more popular in Egypt, especially for women, I want to ensure that everyone is given a fair opportunity. Whether I’m working with athletes, women, children, orphans, elderly or people with disabilities, I want to protect their rights.

To become successful in life, in any field, you need to dedicate time and effort. But beyond that, you need to fight to achieve your dreams. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible. I’m proof of that. I want to help others achieve their dreams.

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Valerie King, Haylee King’s mother, was at Martial Art Concepts in Fallbrook, CA on Saturday, Feb. 29, to present the first scholarship, covering half a year’s worth of classes, and receive an honorary black belt for her daughter.

Haylee King, was killed in 2015 when the Jeep she was riding in blew a tire on Interstate 40 about a half-hour west of Needles. She was 20 years old.

“We for four years tried to figure out what to do,” Valerie King said. “We didn’t know if we wanted to do a college scholarship, but it didn’t resonate with me, and to me it wasn’t gonna carry her name on. This is something that’s gonna change a kid’s life. It changed hers.”

Haylee King started classes at Martial Art Concepts, which teaches hapkido and taekwondo, when she was in fourth grade. Valerie King said she put Haylee King in martial arts classes because she was having problems with bullies.

“We put Haylee in martial arts in fourth grade. She was being bullied; some kid threatened to bring a gun to school and shoot her,” Valerie King said.

At first, Haylee didn’t like the idea of learning martial arts, Valerie King said. But she agreed to try the classes for at least a month.

“Within three days, she was thanking me, telling me how much she loved it,” Valerie said. “A year later, she knocked out her sixth grade, male bully. And ever since she’s been taking this class, she has taken care of many bullies and stopped people from bullying other people.”

Haylee King was in martial arts classes until eighth grade and reached the level of brown belt.

The recipient of the scholarship did not wish to be identified, according to Martial Art Concepts owner Mike Knox, but Valerie King said a new recipient would be designated every six months.

Knox said he was put in contact with Valerie King by the original owner of Martial Art Concepts while preparing to take over the business at the end of 2019. He said he knew of a family that was having trouble affording the cost of sending their child to classes, and he realized Valerie King’s scholarship idea could help that student.

“It was a perfect fit,” he said.

As a token of appreciation, Knox gave Valerie King an honorary black belt for her daughter and a black belt rack bearing the words “Live Like Haylee.”

Valerie King said she hoped martial arts classes would help recipients of the scholarship as much as she said they helped her daughter.

“To me, it was life-changing for her, so (I want to) get a kid to be able to protect other kids being bullied and protect themselves from being bullied,” Valerie King said. “It just hit me one night. I told my husband this is what I want to do, and he said ‘Well, do it.'”

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