__NOTOC__
Rhee Ki Ha (born 20 March 1938) is a South Korean Grandmaster of
Taekwon-Do
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
.He is widely recognised as the 'Father of British Taekwon-Do' for introducing the martial art to the United Kingdom since arriving in 1967.Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th Dan Retrieved on 29 July 2007; link has expired, as at 25 January 2010 New version retrieved on 25 January 2010. He is also considered the 'Father of Irish Taekwon-Do', Retrieved on 30 January 2010. and is 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. 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
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 ...
's leadership.
Early life
Rhee was born on 20 March 1938 in Seoul, Korea,Rhee, A. K.-H. (2011) First Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha Retrieved on 18 August 2011.Derby School of Taekwon-Do: Forty years of Taekwon-Do in the United Kingdom Retrieved on 13 January 2010; link updated on 25 January 2012. during the period of Japanese occupation. He is the eldest of seven children of Rhee Yung-ei and Ahn Soon-rae. Rhee's martial arts training began when he was around 7 or 8 years of age, learning
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
from his father, and he was the only one of his siblings to pursue the martial arts. He later learned
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
from one of his schoolteachers.
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. Rhee was a key figure in the introduction of taekwondo across the world, contributing to demonstrations in many different countries.Vitale, G. (2009) A history of Taekwon-Do demo's (''sic'') ''Totally Tae Kwon Do'', 5:41–45. He later taught taekwondo to the US 8th Army and, in 1964, travelled to Singapore, where he trained
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(RAF) personnel at RAF Changi. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Rhee was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.Cox, S. (c. 2004) The history of Taekwon-Do and its founder Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
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. He arrived at
Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
, London, on 2 July 1967, and was ranked 5th ''
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 ...
'' at the time. Reportedly, Rhee only planned to stay for two years, but ended up settling there. Rhee Ki-ha founded the United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association (UKTA) in 1967,United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association Scotland Retrieved on 30 January 2010. the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association in 1972, at which time he was ranked 5th ''dan'',Irish National Tae Kwon-Do Association: Mr. Thomas Connor IV degree Retrieved on 30 January 2010. and the All European Taekwon-Do Association in 1979. He was promoted to the rank of 7th ''dan'' either by 1973International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history Retrieved on 3 February 2010. or in 1974, 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
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, taking from that point onwards the honorific of "First" Grand Master Rhee (FGMR) Rhee was also described by Choi as "the best ever student of Taekwon-Do."
Rhee is currently Vice President of one of the three ITF organisations.ITF - GM Rhee's Message Retrieved on 3 October 2009. He is listed as the "Founder of Taekwon-Do in Great Britain and Ireland" in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 12 January 2008. He is listed as a pioneer in Europe (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in
Choi Chang-keun
__NOTOC__
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.
Personal life
Rhee married Heather Morris, sister of the UKTA's official photographer, in 1969. Their eldest son, Andrew Kang-hae Rhee (born 1970), is an 8th ''dan'' Senior Master, Taekwon-Do instructor based in Sydney, Australia.United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association: Other Masters Retrieved on 4 November 2009.Anonymous (2010) Training under the best ''Goulburn Post'' (8 January 2010). Retrieved on 30 January 2010. (2011). Retrieved on 18 August 2011.
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 ...