Jhoon Goo Rhee
Encyclopedia
Rhee Jhoon Goo commonly known as Jhoon Rhee, is a South Korean master
of taekwondo
who is widely recognized as the 'Father of American Taekwondo' for introducing this martial art to the United States of America since arriving in the 1950s. Rhee is ranked 10th dan
.
Rhee was born on January 7, 1932, in Korea, during the period of Japanese occupation
. He began training in the martial arts at the age of 13, without his father's knowledge. Rhee received martial art training under Nam Tae Hi
and graduated from the Chung Do Kwan
. During the 1960s, Rhee befriended Bruce Lee
—a relationship from which they both benefited as martial artists.
In 1973, Rhee made his only martial arts movie, titled When Taekwondo Strikes
.
Rhee is well known in the Washington, D.C. area for a television commercial that has a jingle by Nils Lofgren
and features the catch phrase, "Nobody bothers me," followed by "Nobody bothers me, either." In 2000, Rhee was the only Korean-American named amongst the 203 most recognized immigrants to the country by the National Immigrant Forum and the Immigration and Naturalization Services.
Rhee was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2007, and he is listed as both the 'Pioneer of American Taekwondo' and the 'Pioneer of Taekwon-Do in Russia' there. Rhee is listed as a pioneer in the USA (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in Chang Keun Choi
's list of taekwondo pioneers.
He created 'Martial Ballet' which is a martial art form that is conducted to music. Martial Ballet has been performed by different people in different ways and was incorporated in Rhee's school curriculum.
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"...
who is widely recognized as the 'Father of American Taekwondo' for introducing this martial art to the United States of America since arriving in the 1950s. Rhee is ranked 10th 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...
.
Rhee was born on January 7, 1932, in Korea, during the period of Japanese occupation
Korea 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 began training in the martial arts at the age of 13, without his father's knowledge. Rhee received martial art training under Nam Tae Hi
Nam Tae Hi
Nam Tae Hi is a pioneering South Korean master of taekwondo, and is known as the 'Father of Vietnamese Taekwondo.' With H. H. Choi, he co-founded the Oh Do Kwan and led the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association .-Early life:Nam was born in March 1929 in Seoul,...
and graduated from the Chung Do Kwan
Chung Do Kwan
Chung Do Kwan, created by Won Kuk Lee in 1944, is the first of nine schools or kwan teaching what came to be known as taekwondo. This style of Tae Kwon Do is known for its overall power and emphasis on kicks to the head.-Founding:...
. During the 1960s, Rhee befriended Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
—a relationship from which they both benefited as martial artists.
In 1973, Rhee made his only martial arts movie, titled When Taekwondo Strikes
When Taekwondo Strikes
When Taekwondo Strikes is a 1973 martial art film directed and written by Feng Huang, produced by Raymond Chow. The exception with this film is the collective martial arts experience of the cast and the high quality fight choreography...
.
Rhee is well known in the Washington, D.C. area for a television commercial that has a jingle by Nils Lofgren
Nils Lofgren
Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock music recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
and features the catch phrase, "Nobody bothers me," followed by "Nobody bothers me, either." In 2000, Rhee was the only Korean-American named amongst the 203 most recognized immigrants to the country by the National Immigrant Forum and the Immigration and Naturalization Services.
Rhee was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2007, and he is listed as both the 'Pioneer of American Taekwondo' and the 'Pioneer of Taekwon-Do in Russia' there. Rhee is listed as a pioneer in the USA (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.
He created 'Martial Ballet' which is a martial art form that is conducted to music. Martial Ballet has been performed by different people in different ways and was incorporated in Rhee's school curriculum.