Rhee Ki-ha

Last updated

Rhee Ki Ha
GM Rhee Wiki.jpg
K. H. Rhee, 2004
Born (1938-03-20) 20 March 1938 (age 85)
Seoul, Korea
ResidenceGlasgow, United Kingdom
Style Taekwon-Do
Rank9th dan Taekwon-Do (ITF)
4th dan in Judo
2nd dan in Karate
Notable students Robert Howard

Rhee Ki Ha (born 20 March 1938) is a South Korean Grandmaster of Taekwon-Do. He is widely recognised as the 'Father of British Taekwon-Do' for introducing the martial art to the United Kingdom since arriving in 1967. [1] He is also considered the 'Father of Irish Taekwon-Do', [2] and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. [3] [4] [5] Following a career in the South Korean military, GM Rhee emigrated to the UK in 1967. He was a notable officer of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) during Choi Hong-hi's leadership.

Contents

Early life

Rhee was born on 20 March 1938 in Seoul, Korea, [6] [7] during the period of Japanese occupation. He is the eldest of seven children of Rhee Yung-ei and Ahn Soon-rae. [6] Rhee's martial arts training began when he was around 7 or 8 years of age, learning judo from his father, [2] and he was the only one of his siblings to pursue the martial arts. [6] He later learned karate from one of his schoolteachers. [2]

When Rhee served in the South Korean military forces, he came into contact with Choi Hong-hi and learned taekwondo in the 35th Infantry Division. [2] Rhee was a key figure in the introduction of taekwondo across the world, contributing to demonstrations in many different countries. [4] [8] He later taught taekwondo to the US 8th Army and, in 1964, travelled to Singapore, where he trained Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel at RAF Changi. [2] Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Rhee was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world. [9]

United Kingdom

In 1967, some of his students in the RAF, who had returned to the United Kingdom, invited Rhee to travel there to teach. [2] He arrived at Heathrow Airport, London, on 2 July 1967, and was ranked 5th dan at the time. [6] [7] Reportedly, Rhee only planned to stay for two years, but ended up settling there. [2] Rhee Ki-ha founded the United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association (UKTA) in 1967, [10] the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association in 1972, [2] at which time he was ranked 5th dan, [11] and the All European Taekwon-Do Association in 1979. [2] He was promoted to the rank of 7th dan either by 1973 [12] or in 1974, [6] [7] according to different sources. Rhee attained the rank of 8th dan in 1981, and was the first person ever promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi on 1 July 1997 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, taking from that point onwards the honorific of "First" Grand Master Rhee (FGMR) [2] [6] Rhee was also described by Choi as "the best ever student of Taekwon-Do." [2]

Rhee is currently Vice President of one of the three ITF organisations. [13] He is listed as the "Founder of Taekwon-Do in Great Britain and Ireland" in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame. [14] He is listed as a pioneer in Europe (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in Choi Chang-keun's list of taekwondo pioneers. [15]

Personal life

Rhee married Heather Morris, sister of the UKTA's official photographer, in 1969. [6] Their eldest son, Andrew Kang-hae Rhee (born 1970), is an 8th dan Senior Master, Taekwon-Do instructor based in Sydney, Australia. [16] [17] [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taekwondo</span> Korean martial art

Taekwondo, also spelled tae kwon do or taekwon-do, is a Korean martial art involving punching and kicking techniques. The literal translation for taekwondo is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of". It sometimes involves the use of weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choi Hong-hi</span> South Korean general and martial artist (1918–2002)

Choi Hong-hi was a South Korean Army general, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to his introduction of Taekwon-Do to North Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choi Kwang-jo</span> South Korean martial artist

Choi Kwang-jo is a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo, and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1970. Choi is the founder and head of the Choi Kwang Do international martial art organization, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Rhee Taekwon-Do, also known as Rhee Tae Kwon-Do, Rhee Tae Kwon Do, or Rhee Taekwondo, is a martial art school in Australia teaching the Korean martial art of taekwondo. Its full name is "Rhee International Taekwon-Do (Australia)". Chong Chul Rhee, one of the original masters of taekwondo, founded the school in the mid-1960s. Two of Rhee's brothers, Chong Hyup Rhee and Chong Yoon Rhee, later came to assist him in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korea Taekwondo Association</span> Taekwondo Association

Korea Taekwondo Association, originally the Korea Tang Soo Do Association (1961), is the first taekwondo organisation. It was founded in 1959, although official South Korean sources give 1961 as its year of establishment. In 1966, some members of the KTA, led by H. H. Choi, broke off from the KTA and formed the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). The Kukkiwon and the then-World Taekwondo Federation were created by the KTA in the early 1970s. The KTA sits under the Korea Sports Council, is aligned with Kukkiwon, and is a Member National Association (MNA) of the WT. Its goal is to promote the martial art taekwondo as a national sport within South Korea.

The Korean terms hyeong, pumsae, poomsae and teul are all used to refer to martial arts forms that are typically used in Korean martial arts such as Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do.

Chung Do Kwan, created by Won Kuk Lee in 1944, is one of the first of nine schools or kwan teaching Tang Soo Do. Later, the school began to teach what came to be known as taekwondo. This style of Tang Soo Do is known for its overall power and emphasis on kicks to the head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chong-chul Rhee</span> South Korean taekwondo practitioner

Rhee Chong-chul is a South Korean master of taekwondo who arrived to Australia in the 1960s. He is the founder of Rhee Taekwon-Do, which is widely publicised as Australia's first and biggest taekwondo school. Rhee holds the title 'World Master' and the rank of 8th dan in taekwondo. He is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association (KTA).

Rhee Jhoon-goo, commonly known as Jhoon Rhee, was a Korean-American taekwondo partitioner. He is widely recognized as the 'Father of American Taekwondo' for introducing this martial art to the United States of America, after arriving in the 1950s. He was ranked 10th dan, and held the title of Grandmaster.

Park Jung-tae was a South Korean master of taekwondo and a pioneer of that martial art in Canada. He was one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, Park emigrated to Canada in 1970. He was a key leader in the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) under Choi Hong-hi, but founded the Global Taekwon-Do Federation in 1990 after leaving the ITF. After teaching taekwondo for many years, Park died in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Original masters of taekwondo</span> Group of twelve South Korean martial art masters

The original masters of taekwondo is a group of twelve South Korean martial art masters assembled by the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) in the early 1960s to promote the newly established art of taekwondo. In alphabetical order following Korean naming conventions, they are: Choi Chang-keun, Choi Kwang-jo, Han Cha-kyo, Kim Jong-chan, Kim Kwan-il, Kong Young-il, Park Jong-soo, Park Jung-tae, Park Sun-jae, Rhee Chong-chul, Rhee Chong-hyup, and Rhee Ki-ha.

Choi Chang-keun, widely known as C. K. Choi, is a South Korean–Canadian master of taekwondo, and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, Choi emigrated to Canada in 1969, where he continues to teach his martial art.

Nam Tae-hi was a pioneering South Korean master of taekwondo and is known as the "Father of Vietnamese Taekwondo". With Choi Hong-hi, he co-founded the "Oh Do Kwan" and led the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association (KTA).

Han Cha-kyo was a South Korean master of taekwondo, and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. He held the rank of 9th dan in taekwondo. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1971 with his wife and newborn daughter Nancy Han. He later had another daughter, Catherine Han. After teaching taekwondo for many years in Chicago, he died in 1996.

Park Jong-soo was a South Korean master of taekwondo and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. He held the rank of 9th dan. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to Canada in 1968.

Kong Young-il is a South Korean master of taekwondo and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. He holds the rank of 9th dan. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in the late 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Howard (martial artist)</span> Irish master of taekwondo

Robert J. Howard is an Irish Grandmaster of taekwondo. He is ranked 9th dan black belt and is the first European to have been promoted to Grandmaster by the International Taekwon-Do Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwang Sung Hwang</span> South Korean taekwondo practitioner

Hwang Kwang-sung is a South Korean grand master of Taekwon-Do, a notable officer of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), only president of KoreAmerica Taekwon-Do Union (KATU), founder and president of Unified International Taekwon-Do Federation.

References

  1. ↑ Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th Dan Archived 15 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 29 July 2007; link has expired, as at 25 January 2010. New version Archived 20 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine retrieved on 25 January 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association: Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th degree black belt Retrieved on 30 January 2010.
  3. ↑ Choi, H. H. (1972): Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
  4. 1 2 Park, S. H. (1993): "About the author." In H. H. Choi: Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence, 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
  5. ↑ A tribute to the original masters Archived 2010-05-25 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rhee, A. K.-H. (2011): First Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha Retrieved on 18 August 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 Derby School of Taekwon-Do: Forty years of Taekwon-Do in the United Kingdom Archived 14 January 2013 at archive.today Retrieved on 13 January 2010; link updated on 25 January 2012.
  8. ↑ Vitale, G. (2009): A history of Taekwon-Do demo's (sic) Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Totally Tae Kwon Do, 5:41–45.
  9. ↑ Cox, S. (c. 2004): The history of Taekwon-Do and its founder Archived 2009-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
  10. ↑ United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association Scotland Archived 22 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 30 January 2010.
  11. ↑ Irish National Tae Kwon-Do Association: Mr. Thomas Connor IV degree Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 30 January 2010.
  12. ↑ International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history Archived 2011-08-31 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
  13. ↑ ITF - GM Rhee's Message Retrieved on 3 October 2009.
  14. ↑ Taekwondo Hall of Fame Retrieved on 12 January 2008.
  15. ↑ Choi, C. K. (2007): Tae Kwon Do Pioneers Archived 2008-03-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 15 March 2008.
  16. ↑ United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association: Other Masters Archived 21 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 4 November 2009.
  17. ↑ Anonymous (2010): Training under the best Goulburn Post (8 January 2010). Retrieved on 30 January 2010.
  18. ↑ International Taekwon-Do Federation of Australasia: Master Andrew K. H. Rhee, VII Dan Archived 30 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine (2011). Retrieved on 18 August 2011.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.