Myung Kwang-Sik
Encyclopedia
Myung Kwang-Sik was an early Korea
n hapkido
practitioner and a pioneer of the art, first in Korea and then in the United States. He formed the first world wide organization for hapkido, the World Hapkido Federation, and wrote the most comprehensive books on the art.
while attending Sung Kyun Kwan University as a Commerce Major. It was after graduation that Myung was awarded the directorship of the Northern Branch Dochang of Hapkido. The Korea Hapkido Association sent 15 members of demonstration teams to Vietnam and taught Korean, US, and Vietnamese troops as well as Special Forces. Upon returning to Seoul Myung opened up a school in the Sansunkyo district and established the Korea Hapkido Yon Moo Kwan Association in April 1968, dedicated to the furtherance of Hapkido as a highly visible martial art. In 1968 he published a 254-page, Korean-language book, “Hapkido,” at the age of 27. This was later followed by the first major Hapkido book in English, "Hapkido - Art of Masters" (October, 1976).
Myung Kwang-Sik. Hapkido: Special Self Protection Techniques. Seolim Publishing Co. Seoul, 1993.
Myung Kwang-Sik. Hapkido Textbook"; Vols. 1-6; Seolim Publishing Co. Seoul, 1998.
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 hapkido
Hapkido
Hapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
practitioner and a pioneer of the art, first in Korea and then in the United States. He formed the first world wide organization for hapkido, the World Hapkido Federation, and wrote the most comprehensive books on the art.
Accomplishments
One of the earliest important pioneers of the art, Myung Kwang-Sik first began teaching hapkido at the Northern Branch of the Korea Hapkido Association in SeoulSeoul
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...
while attending Sung Kyun Kwan University as a Commerce Major. It was after graduation that Myung was awarded the directorship of the Northern Branch Dochang of Hapkido. The Korea Hapkido Association sent 15 members of demonstration teams to Vietnam and taught Korean, US, and Vietnamese troops as well as Special Forces. Upon returning to Seoul Myung opened up a school in the Sansunkyo district and established the Korea Hapkido Yon Moo Kwan Association in April 1968, dedicated to the furtherance of Hapkido as a highly visible martial art. In 1968 he published a 254-page, Korean-language book, “Hapkido,” at the age of 27. This was later followed by the first major Hapkido book in English, "Hapkido - Art of Masters" (October, 1976).
Personal life
He later moved to Detroit where he opened up his first hapkido school and formed the World Hapkido Association. Shortly thereafter in 1976 he published one of the first and most detailed books on hapkido technique in English available to that time, improving upon the material from the book he had published earlier in Korea. Myung later moved his headquarters to Los Angeles and established the World Hapkido Federation. Myung produced and published a vast series of Hapkido video tapes and books while at the Los Angeles World Headquarters. He later moved the world headquarters to Tustin, California.Published works
Myung, Kwang-Sik. Korean Hapkido; Ancient Art of Masters. World Hapkido Federation. Los Angeles, California, 1976.Myung Kwang-Sik. Hapkido: Special Self Protection Techniques. Seolim Publishing Co. Seoul, 1993.
Myung Kwang-Sik. Hapkido Textbook"; Vols. 1-6; Seolim Publishing Co. Seoul, 1998.
See also
World Hapkido Federation- Korean martial artsKorean martial artsKorean martial arts are the martial arts that originated from Korea. Some well known Korean martial arts are hapkido, kuk sool won, and taekwondo. There has also been a revival of Korean sword arts as well as knife fighting and archery...
- HapkidoHapkidoHapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
- List of people of Korean descent