GRANDMASTER JAE HUN KIM
Mr. Kim carries the tradition set by some of the most recognized Taekwon-do masters in the world. He was especially fortunate to receive personal teachings from General Choi, Hong Hi – the acknowledged founder of modern-day Taekwon-do – and from Grandmaster Jung Tae Park, president of the Global Tae Kwon Do Federation. Mr. Kim received the rank of Grand Master in July, 1993, from the Kukkiwon world Taekwon-do headquarters in South Korea.
EARLY YEARS: KOREA
Mr. J.H. Kim was born and raised in Korea. His father, Mr. Jwah Kyum Kim, was a military officer who later became a diplomat and a cabinet member in the Korean government. Mr. Kim’s father served as the head of the Economic Mission to Vietnam and as the first Korean Ambassador to Indonesia. He later returned to Korea and became a cabinet minister in charge of political affairs. Although the elder Kim passed away in 1985, his presence is felt at our school,
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NORTH AMERICA & GRANDMASTER PARK
Mr. Kim moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1967. There, he started his first Taekwon-do club while working hard as a full-time academic student. No one in Winnipeg knew what Taekwon-do was at the time, but those who witnessed it were impressed. The club flourished. Eventually, Mr. Kim invited a leading Taekwon-do Master, Mr. Jung Tae Park, to move to Winnipeg and open a school. Mr. Kim’s academic pursuits required much of his time, but when the new school opened, he continued to teach under Mr. Park, and also learned from him. Grand Master Park later founded the Global Tae Kwon Do Federation.
General Choi
In 1971, Mr. Kim moved to Boston and started teaching at area universities. At about this time, he had the honor of being invited to the home of General Choi, Hong Hi – the acknowledged founder of modern-day Taekwon-do. After a brief review of forms, General Choi invited Mr. Kim to receive personal training from him, from then on. This was the greatest honor for a Taekwon-do practitioner, as General Choi taught only a handful of instructors in his home.
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ADVANCING TAEKWON-DO
Without the help and guidance of General Choi, Mr. Kim wandered for a while. But, it was not too long before Mr. Kim’s closest friend, Grand Master C.K. Ma, brought him into the United States Taekwondo Union (U.S.T.U.). With Mr. C.K. Ma and Mr. Yong Il Lee, Mr. Kim helped the organization’s president, Dr. Dong Ja Yang, to expand the U.S.T.U. into a national organization that officially represents Taekwon-do practitioners in the U.S. In 1979, Mr. Kim was selected by the U.S.T.U. to coach the national team. After making numerous contributions to the advancement of Taekwon-do organizations, Mr. Kim came to the decision to devote the years ahead to his own school, and to concentrate solely on teaching his students. He continues to teach every day.
OTHER EXPERIENCES
Mr. Kim’s experience outside of the martial arts circle is also quite interesting. He earned a B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also served in the Korean Air Force, with the rank of Captain.
The academic training and skills Mr. Kim obtained from MIT and Harvard led him to a successful career with General Electric, where he served for many years as Vice President (GETSCO), Northern Pacific Operation. In that position, his chief responsibility was in marketing aircraft engines and aerospace products to that region of the world.
JAE HUN KIM TAEKWON-DO INSTITUTE
In 1992, Mr. Kim decided to return to his first love – teaching Taekwon-do – on a full-time basis. He wanted to develop new instructors and to reach new communities, providing good instruction whereby more people could benefit from Taekwon-do training. The school has flourished, attracting Taekwon-do students of all ages and backgrounds, from around the world. The institute now operates 22 schools in the U.S., Singapore, Korea, Ireland, and China.
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ONGOING RECOGNITION
The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) asked Mr. Kim to conduct a seminar for 100 school owners in Korea. The seminar was held on September 3rd, 2011 at the Korea National Sports University. The seminar facility could only hold 100 people, but 124 school owners crammed into the room, many of whom had to stand during the seminar. It is yet another indication of the respect Mr. Kim has in the Taekwon-do communities around the world.
Mr. Kim was invited by Kukkiwon (Taekwondo World Headquarters) to speak to more than 500 Taekwondo school directors and instructors at the first Kukkiwon seminar of its kind held in Seoul, South Korea on the future direction of Taekwondo around the world.
In 2013, Mr. Kim was named “Grandmaster of the Year” by the Taekwondo Times magazine.