The International H.K.D. Federation (I.H.F.) was founded in 1974 by

hapkido Hapkido ( , , also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do''; from Korean 합기도 ''hapgido'' ) is a hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other stri ...

grandmaster Myung Jae Nam. Its original name was the ''International Hapkido Federation'' — it was changed when

hankido Hankido is a new martial art style developed by Myung Jae-nam using circular flowing movements owing to Myung Jae-nam's background in traditional Korean dance. Etymology The name hankido is a mix of the name ''Hanguk'' (the Korean name for So ...

and

hankumdo Hankumdo is a Korean sword-art where the basic techniques are based on the letters of the Korean alphabet, Hangul. Goal The goal of hankumdo is to teach people how to defend themselves and at the same time offer them exercises to stay healthy. I ...

were added to the I.H.F.'s curriculum.

Goal

The goal of the I.H.F is to promote the practice of Korean martial arts like hapkido, hankido and hankumdo.

History

Myung Jae Nam had started teaching in

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

from his school called Jeong Do Kwan (정도관) in 1962. In 1973 he founded his own federation, called ''Dae Han Kuk Hapki Hwe'' (대한국합기회). In October 1974, while still maintaining his own organization, he assisted in the forming the ''Dae Han Min Kuk Hapkido Hyop Hwe'' (대한민국합기도협회, Republic of Korea Hapkido Association). He was appointed the executive director and remained with that organization until 1980. In August 1974, he again changed the name of his own organization to ''Kuk Je Yon Maeng Hapki Hwe'' (국제연맹합기회), which is known in English as the International H.K.D. Federation. In the same year he co-founded the Korean Hapkido Association. In 1981 the IHF was recognized by the Korean government. In August 1993 the I.H.F. opened the ''International hapkido hankido world headquarters'' (국제연맹 합기도 한기도 세계본부) near the city of

Yongin Yongin () is a city in the Seoul Capital Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the count ...

. Myung Jae Nam's son, Myung Sung Kwang, assumed leadership of the International H.K.D. Federation in 1999 upon the passing of his father. In February 2010 Myung Sung Kwang finished his study at the Hangyang University with a thesis titled 'A Study on Hankido'.

International Games

The goal of the I.H.F. is to organize the International H.K.D Games every three years. Since 1990 the I.H.F. has organized seven such games. The most recent took place in

Battle Creek, MI Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, Michigan, Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle C ...

in the summer of 2010. In 2013 the games were scheduled to take place in Korea again. The games of 2016 will probably take place in Brazil.

Jae Nam Mu Sul Won

After Myung Jae Nam died in 1999, his son Myung Sung-kwang took over. In 2000 he received permission from the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism to start the Jaenam Musul Won Foundation, of which he is president. This foundation is in charge of Myung Jae Nam's heritage and oversees the development of Hapkido, Hankido, Hankumdo, and Hwal Bub for the International H.K.D. Federation.

Korean Police

Koreans who want to enter the police academy need a black belt certificate from one of the selected Korean hapkido organizations. In the past the IHF was one of only three organizations whose certificates were accepted; now the certificates of four more organizations are accepted.IHF website
hwp document

References

External links

International H.K.D. Federation Headquarters

Ji Yong Kwan
{{Hapkido Hapkido organizations Sports organizations established in 1974