Jong Soo Park
Encyclopedia
Park Jong Soo 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 Canada in 1968.
. He trained in taekwondo under Choi Hong Hi
. In 1965, he was invited to be the coach of the German Taekwon-Do Association, and moved from South Korea to West Germany
. Park was ranked 5th dan that year. The following year, he moved to the Netherlands and founded the Netherlands Taekwon-Do Association. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Park was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.
during a politically-sensitive period. By 2002, however, they were reconciled, and Park was present at Choi's deathbed.
In 2004, Park was President of the Canadian Taekwon-Do Association, and presented a seminar in Afghanistan. In 2008, Park conducted a seminar in Beijing. He currently heads taekwondo schools in Toronto.
Park is listed as a pioneer in Canada (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in Chang Keun Choi
's list of taekwondo pioneers.
Grandmaster (martial arts)
Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master stock character in fiction...
of taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo
Original Masters of Taekwondo
Original masters of taekwondo is a group of twelve South Korean martial art masters assembled by the Korea Taekwon-Do Association in the early 1960s to promote the newly-established art of taekwondo...
of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association
Korea Taekwondo Association
Korea Taekwondo Association , originally the Korea Taekwon-Do Association, 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...
. He holds the rank of 9th dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to Canada in 1968.
Early life
Park was born in Chung-Nam, Korea, in 1941, during the period of Japanese occupationKorea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
. He trained in taekwondo under Choi Hong Hi
Choi Hong Hi
Choi Hong Hi , also known as General Choi, was a South Korean army general and martial artist who is a controversial figure in the history of the Korean martial art of taekwondo. Choi is widely regarded as the 'Founder of Taekwondo'—most often by International Taekwon-Do Federation organizations...
. In 1965, he was invited to be the coach of the German Taekwon-Do Association, and moved from South Korea to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. Park was ranked 5th dan that year. The following year, he moved to the Netherlands and founded the Netherlands Taekwon-Do Association. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Park was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.
Canada
In 1968, Park settled in Toronto, Canada. In 1973, he held the rank of 7th dan. In 1974, Park and several other ITF masters demonstrated taekwondo in Toronto—then being promoted as "the new home of the ITF" by Choi. Park and Choi went their separate ways after Choi insisted on establishing relations with North KoreaNorth Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
during a politically-sensitive period. By 2002, however, they were reconciled, and Park was present at Choi's deathbed.
In 2004, Park was President of the Canadian Taekwon-Do Association, and presented a seminar in Afghanistan. In 2008, Park conducted a seminar in Beijing. He currently heads taekwondo schools in Toronto.
Park is listed as a pioneer in Canada (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in Chang Keun Choi
Chang Keun Choi
Choi Chang Keun , widely known as C. K. Choi, is a South Korean master of taekwondo, and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association...
's list of taekwondo pioneers.
External links
- Jong Soo Park Institute of Taekwon-Do
- YouTube: Grand Master Jong Soo Park – Biography (narrated by Park).