Ok. I'll try and get it another way. If I get the address, I'll give it to you too, since you have a relationship with him.
For all intents and purposes, GM Rhee, Ki ha is my Kwan leader. I didn't seek him out as such, but did have the chance to meet him and train with him, I posted about it once before.
As he's ITF I'm not sure he'd say if he was ever head of a Kwan. He's essentially the highest ranked ITF practitioner in the UK, is regarded as the father of British Taekwondo, was present at the naming meetings, so I'm not convinced that he ever was officially part of a Kwan until the Oh Do Kwan.
He wasn't present at December 19, 1954 naming committee meeting (there was only one meeting). The only martial arts related people who were there were General Choi, GM SON Duk Sung and GM HYUN Jong Myung. The rest were politicians, businessmen, etc.
GM Ri Ki Ha took is first Taekwondo lesson with the Oh Do Kwan. Your Kwan would be "Taekwondo Oh Do Kwan", the current Kwanjang of Oh Do Kwan is GM HAN Myung Hak, who lives in Korea. We just saw from Glenn that GM NAM Tae Hi now lives in California. I would guess that GM Nam is the most senior Oh Do Kwan member alive. The next might be GM BAEK Joon Ki, who lives in Seoul. Here is a photo of GM Baek at dinner in Dongdaemoon, and then a photo of GM Baek, GM KIM Soon Bae and myself outside Olympic Park in Chamsil, Seoul [/IMG] [/IMG]
Yes I realised I got my facts wrong there, he was part of the group that firstly trained the with 35th Infantry Division, then he went with Gen Choi and the rest of the group as they gave their demonstrations around the world. He settled in the UK in 1967, the year after the ITF was formed, 6/8 years after the KTA was formed (can't remember right now if it was 1959 or 61?). Edit: there's something wrong with me tonight, i originally said he trained the 35th infantry division, rather than trained WITH.
Thanks for that Mst. Cole, GM Nam Tae Hi did come into my head, but I wasn't sure who was higher ranked or who had seniority. I'd also like to say about GM Rhee, that he's easily the best Martial Artist I've ever met. Before meeting him, I would never have believed that you could retain such speed and power and general well being into your 70's.
GM Nam is the most senior of the Oh Do Kwan members. He was the first Oh Do Kwan Jang. GM Rhee looks like a very tough man.
So if I was to open my own Dojang I could legitimately call it Oh Do Kwan Taekwondo? He is just that, I also get the impression (I could be wrong here) that he regrets the whole ITF/KKW split that exists, he said to me that Taekwondo is Taekwondo, there is no seperation.
He has hands like Catcher's mits. (He's not particularly tall, maybe 5'8".) I did not see it but was told of a break he did (real #2 pine boards 1x12 - 12 " wide, not the demo boards often used today) where he took 4 boards, tossed them in the air and with the same hand he tossed them with broke them with a back fist.
The official name of the kwan headquarters in Korean language is "Dae Han Taekwondo Oh Do Kwan Jhoong Bon Kwan." To use the general name of the kwan, not the headquarters, it would just be "Taekwondo Oh Do Kwan." The general name of all kwan would start with the word "Taekwondo" first. Also keep in mind that the Oh Do Kwan was founded in 1954. It helped form the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) in 1961 and is still a special member of the KTA today. It's nearing it's 60 year anniversary soon.123
