__NOTOC__
Park Jong-soo (1941 – 27 November 2021) was a South Korean
master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
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 ...
and one of the twelve
original masters of taekwondo
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.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: T ...
of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence''. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.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.A tribute to the original masters (c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011. He held 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 ...
''.Grand Master Jong-soo Park: Biography Retrieved on 22 February 2009.Pioneers of Taekwon-Do: Grand Master Park Jong-soo Retrieved on 13 January 2010. 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 occupation. He trained in taekwondo under
Choi Hong-hi
Choi Hong-hi (9 November 1918 – 15 June 2002) was a South Korean Army general, defector to North Korea, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to h ...
. 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 is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. Park was ranked 5th ''dan'' that year.Taekwondo Homepage: Geschichte des Taekwondo . Retrieved on 5 January 2010. 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 Choi around the world.Cox, S. (c. 2004) Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
Canada
In 1968, Park settled in Toronto, Canada. In 1973, he held the rank of 7th ''dan''.International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history Retrieved on 3 February 2010. In 1974, Park and several other ITF masters demonstrated taekwondo in Toronto—then being promoted as "the new home of the ITF" by Choi.Anonymous (1974): "International Tae Kwon Do demo held in Canada." ''Black Belt'', 12(12):13–14. Park and Choi went their separate ways after Choi insisted on establishing relations with
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
during a politically sensitive period.Gillis, A. (2003) Tiny master ''Toro'', June–July 2003:100–107. Retrieved on 31 January 2010. 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. (4 April 2004). Retrieved on 30 January 2010. In 2008, Park conducted a seminar in Beijing. (15 September 2008). Retrieved on 30 January 2010. He headed taekwondo schools in Toronto. Retrieved on 4 March 2010.
Park is listed as a pioneer in Canada (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in
Choi Chang-keun
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Choi Chang-keun ( 최창근; 崔昌根; born 1941), widely known as C. K. Choi, is a South Korean master of taekwondo,Choi, C. K. (2007) Tae Kwon Do Pioneers Retrieved on 15 March 2008.
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 ...