Kyongwon Ahn, 9th 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...

(Kukkiwon

Kukkiwon

Kukkiwon , also known as World Taekwondo Headquarters, and home of the World Taekwondo Academy, is the official taekwondo governing organisation established by the South Korean government...

), is a Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n 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"...

 master who founded the United Taekwondo Association (UTA) in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Ahn was born in 1937 in Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, Korea

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....

, and began training in the martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 began when he was 12 years old. He served an internship with his instructor, Chang Bok Lee, as the Master Instructor for the Korean and American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 armies from 1955 to 1967. In 1962, Ahn achieved his Juris Doctorate (Civil Law) from Kangwon University. In August 1967, he emigrated to the USA and began teaching tang soo do

Tang Soo Do

Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art promoted by Hwang Kee that has roots in various martial arts, including taekkyeon and Subak.-Etymology:...

 at the University of Cincinnati

University of Cincinnati

The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....

 in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. He has also held teaching and advisory positions at the Miami University

Miami University

Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...

 (in Ohio) and Xavier University

Xavier University (Cincinnati)

Xavier University is a co-educational Jesuit university in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and has an undergraduate enrollment of about 4,000 students and graduate enrollment of 2,600 students. Xavier is primarily...

. Ahn founded the International Martial Arts Federation, now the United Taekwondo Association in 1971 in an effort to standardize taekwondo teaching methods.

In 1974, Ahn was a founding member of the Amateur Athletic Union

Amateur Athletic Union

The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations 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.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

's Taekwondo Committee. The World Taekwondo Federation

World Taekwondo Federation

The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation member of the International Olympic Committee for the competition events of the martial art of taekwondo...

 (WTF) awarded Ahn his Master Instructor certification in 1977. He received 9th dan ranking from Kukkiwon in 1990. Through the 1980s, Ahn worked within the United States Taekwondo Union (USTU) and ultimately served as the association president USA Taekwondo

USA Taekwondo

USA Taekwondo is the national governing body of Taekwondo for the United States Olympic Committee and as such is the official Member National Association of the World Taekwondo Federation in the USA. It began in the 1970s as the AAU National Taekwondo Association, and later broke away from AAU...

. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for the United States Olympic Committee

United States Olympic Committee

The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...

 and worked to bring taekwondo to the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympic Games

Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...

. In 2000, Ahn was one of the founders of the United States Taekwondo Won (USTW). From 2003 to 2005, he served on the WTF's Legislative Committee. In 2005, the Republic of Korea awarded Ahn the National Sport Merit Award in recognition of his work in promoting taekwondo and helping it to become a full medal Olympic sport.

Major Taekwondo Career Accomplishments

• 1967 – Arrived in Cincinnati, OH to establish the martial arts program at the University of Cincinnati and to provide instruction to the R.O.T.C. students
• 1974 – Founding member of the National AAU Committee
• 1975 to 1979 – President of the Ohio Taekwondo Association
• 1977 – Head of the U.S. National Team at the 3rd World Championships held in Chicago, IL
• 1978 – Author of the promotion standards and code of operation for the National AAU Taekwondo Committee
• 1980 to 1984 – Vice President of the United States Taekwondo Union
• 1985 to 1986 – President-elect of the United States Taekwondo Union
• 1986 – Director of the 1st World Cup Taekwondo event held in Colorado Springs, CO
• 1986 to 1992 – President of the United States Taekwondo Union
• 1987 to 1992 – Executive Board Council member of the World Taekwondo Federation
• 1986 to 1992 – Member of the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic Committee
• 1988 – Team Leader for the U.S. National Team at the 1st Taekwondo Demonstration at the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea
• 1989 to 1992 – Chairman of the Law & Legislation Committee of the World Taekwondo Federation
• 1990 – Certified as an International Referee by the World Taekwondo Federation
• 1990 – Promoted to 9th Dan by the World Taekwondo Federation / Kukkiwon
• 1992 – Team Leader for the U.S. National Team at the 2nd Taekwondo Demonstration at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain
• 1992 – Member of the Promotion Committee for the Taekwondo Olympic status
• 1992 – Member of the Arbitration Committee for the 1992 Barcelona Taekwondo Olympic Games
• 1995 – President of the Ohio State Taekwondo Association
• 1999 – Founding member of the United States Taekwondo Won
• 2001 to 2004 – President of the United States Taekwondo Won
• 2008–2009 – Member of the Kukkiwon International Advisory Committee

Awards

• 1977 – Award from Dr. Un Yong Kim for Outstanding Contribution to Taekwondo
• 1987 – Award from Pan American Games
• 1992 – Award from the Barcelona Olympic Games
• 1995 – Award from Dr. Un Yong Kim for Outstanding Contribution to Taekwondo
• 2002 – National Martial Artist of the Year from the International Tang Soo Do Federation
• 2003 – National Sport Merit Award from the Republic of Korea

Achievements

• One of the founding members of the AAU Taekwondo program
• Responsible for establishing the United States Taekwondo Union as the National Governing Body for Olympic Taekwondo
• Lobbyist for Taekwondo as an Olympic Sport
• Initiator for the World Cup Taekwondo event when President of the United States Taekwondo Union
• Founding member of the United States Taekwondo Won
• Has taught Taekwondo from 1957 through 2011 (1957 to 1967 in Korea) (1967 to current in the United States)

Senior Students

As an instructor Ahn is responsible for teaching and promoting thousands of under black belt students, hundreds of black belts and several master instructors. These masters and students made their mark as Taekwondo instructors, International Referees, state and national champions and successful business leaders in many fields. He also sponsored other Korean instructor when they first came to the United States of America.