__NOTOC__
Park Dong-keun ( 박동근; born ''c.'' 1941), also known as D. K. Park, is a South Korean Grandmaster of
taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
. He holds the title "Grandmaster,"Grand Master Dong-keun Park: Pioneer of Taekwondo in Thailand Retrieved on 27 April 2009. Retrieved on 27 April 2009; link updated on 7 December 2010. the rank of 9th ''
dan
Dan or DAN may refer to:
People
* Dan (name), including a list of people with the name
** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark
* Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa
**Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...
'' in taekwondo,Won Park Institute of Taekwondo: US TKD Grandmaster Society 1st annual Hall of Fame awards ceremony (22 April 2006). Retrieved on 25 January 2010. and was Korea's only undefeated taekwondo fighter in more than 200 International championship competition. Park introduced the martial art of taekwondo to Thailand in 1966, before settling in the United States of America, and was the taekwondo coach of both the US National Team and the US Olympic Team.
Early life and career in Asia
Park was born in Jeollado, Korea, during World War II. He was a member of the South Korean National Team from 1959 to 1966, and served as team captain from 1964 to 1966. He was the South Korean National Champion from 1962 to 1966. On his retirement, he was inducted into the Korean Amateur Athletic Association's Hall of Fame as the only undefeated taekwondo champion from more than 200 International matches.
Park moved to Thailand in 1966 at the personal request of King Bhumibol of Thailand to teach taekwondo to the
Thai royal family
The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...
and US military forces, specifically US Army Security Agency units in Bangkok, (83rd ASA Special Operations Unit,) and in Ban Non Song, (7th ASA Field Station.)
Career in North America
Park initially moved to
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, USA, in 1970. He then moved to Jersey City, New Jersey and on September 1, 1971, founded the D. K. Park Tae Kwon Do School (also the birthdate of his daughter, Jane). Later that year, he appeared on television on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
''. Park established the taekwondo program at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
in 1973. In 1975, he became the first instructor to have two students (Gerard Robbins and Dennis Robinson) win official USA National Taekwondo Championships titles, and both of them competed in the 2nd World Taekwondo Championships in Seoul, South Korea. Park was the head coach for the US National Team in 1979 at the 4th World Championships in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, Germany. In 1982, he was named Coach of the Year by the
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...
.
From 1982 to 1996, Park served as Coaching Committee Chairman of the United States Tae Kwon Do Union. He was the technical coach for the US Olympic taekwondo team at the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
in Seoul. This was taekwondo's inaugural appearance at the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport. Park became head coach for the US Olympic taekwondo team at the
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
in Barcelona. In 1993, he was head coach for the US Team at the World Championships (1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze), and in 1994 at the
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...
in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, Russia, resulting again in 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals.
Later life
In 1997, ''
Tae Kwon Do Times
__NOTOC__
''Tae Kwon Do Times'' is a magazine devoted to the martial art of taekwondo, and is published in the United States of America. In 2006, his first book was published: ''Tae Kwon Do basics, techniques and forms: The indomitable martial art of Korea'' (co-authored with Allan Schein).Tae Kwon Do basics, techniques and forms: The indomitable martial art of Korea Retrieved on 27 April 2009. He was inducted into the US Taekwondo Grandmasters Society Hall of Fame in 2006 as coach of the year. On 6 April 2007, he was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame.The Official Taekwondo Hall Of Fame Retrieved on 27 April 2009.Olympic and World Taekwondo Champions to be honored at 1st annual Taekwondo Hall of Fame Ceremony (30 January 2007). Retrieved on 22 January 2010. He is a Life Member of USA Taekwondo.USA Taekwondo: Life members & application Retrieved on 25 January 2010. Park continues teaching taekwondo at his school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
See also
*
List of taekwondo grandmasters
This list of taekwondo grandmasters includes notable persons who have been recognized as grandmasters of the Korean martial art of taekwondo. There is no single, universally-recognized set of criteria to define a taekwondo grandmaster; differen ...
*
United States at the Olympics
United States of America (USA) has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern era Olympic Games, except for the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
American athletes have won ...