Grand Master Moo Yong Yun

[Brock Haugen]

Wow! Today I had the itch for some reason to see if I could find out any info on Master Yun. I came across this forum and had to sign up.
Both my brothers and I took classes at the building across from the old Ben Franklin school in the late 80's early 90's. I started when I was 7 and received my poom belt when I was 11 or 12. I should really go out and pull all my old stuff out.
Master Yun was always friendly and very courteous to our family. I remember he used to be smiling all the time and was always joking around with us and one day one of my fellow students had done something to upset him and he asked us to follow him outside and do pushups in the parking lot on our knuckles. We thought at the time he was kidding.....he wasnt!
I also remember how after achieving each belt Master Yun would write a little something on the boards we broke and would date them and write down what strike was used to break the board. I used to have piles and piles of broken boards lying about the house.
Our family used to always make a trip across town to make sure we hit up his house for Halloween as well. I still think about getting back into Tae Kwon Do. And after 20 years I still remember how to count to at least 20 in Korean thanks to all those years of hammering away at those bricks!
I hope to see Master Yun again, he played a big roll in my early child hood.

 

[UncleDuke]

Yes Grandmaster Yun was on the cover, I have an autographed copy of the magazine, feel free to contradict me but: GM Yun originally started teaching in Peru Illinois, about 100 miles from Chicago, the market was crowded and he ended up in Fargo in the fall of 1975 as I believe Tim Peterson and Don Nelson (later Master Don) started training at 312 N. Univ. Ave. around September of '75. GM Yun had been followed to Fargo by one his brown belts, (Red Belt when I started), Frank Boardman who went on to become his first black belt. In December of '75 Robin Sletto and myself signed up for classes (still have GM Yun's reply letter) and started classes in January of '76, the first five black belts were Mike Seminary, Sarah Strand, Robin Sletto, Eugene Marquart and myself. I started teaching at MSU (now MSUM) in March of 1979 and was extremely fortuanate to have very good students, Don Nelson was my assistant for nearly three years there, some of the best memories of my life. My only regret about teaching at MSU is that I should have put Roy Gilbertson in as instructor when I left instead of who I did. As it was it fell to Roy to rescue the club/school there when I left and he did it admirably.

 

[UncleDuke]

I trained under Mr. Tim Cote the head instructor of Moorhead Black Belt Karate School (from 1986-1988 Moorhead, MN). Mr. Tim was a student of Grand Master Yun's. I met Yun several times and took a few lessons from him as well.

If any of you ever attended Moorhead Black Belt or remember Tim Cote.... please drop me a note here and at frostbite974@yahoo.com

Those very good days in my youth and I miss Tim and Yun considerablly.


Courtesy,

Neil

Tim Cote is married, a machinist at Federal Cartridge in Anoka these days, lives about six miles from me, see him quite often as we shoot in pistol competitions together

 

[UncleDuke]

Very true, when Yun's Northwest Blackbelt Karate School was at 312 N. Univ in Fargo I remember there being only 38 students of all ranks (late 1976). Now you can bump into a 4th degree on most any street corner, very hard when egos rub each other the wrong way. A couple of us old-timers (long gone from the martial arts scene) refer to the years '75-'83 as the "Glory Days" it was still 'family' my friends of a lifetime are from those days and although those that stayed in are at odds with each other these days it's not for me to take sides, I can't; one man's faith is anothers heresy. I've know some of them since they were teenagers.

 

[UncleDuke]

I trained from January of 1976 until August of 1983 when I left to teach in Bismarck, I was not a businessman and that went nowhere. Came to the Twin Cities area in June of 1984 and competed in my last tournament at MSU in 1989

 

[UncleDuke]

Don Larson and Greg (forget the name after all these years), anyway they both worked for Fargo Tire back in the late '70's early '80's, took classes from me until about brown belt I believe and then made black belt under either Roy Gilbertson or GM Yun, good people both of them

 

[UncleDuke]

Amen, politics drove many a good instructor and student away

 

[UncleDuke]

I started training in January of 1976 at the original school at 312 N. Univ., started teaching at MSU in March of 1979 was at the original school until June of 1984

 

[UncleDuke]

I don't believe the Sang Moo Kwan exists anymore. GM Byung Jick Ro along with GM Yun presented me my 3rd degree in April of '83, GM Yun was originally Sang Moo Kwan (still have my old association pin as well as my Korea Taekwondo Association patch) I believe GM Yun moved over to the Chang Moo Kwan.

 

[UncleDuke]

I think many in the midwest have studied under Sabom-nim (more correctly kwan jang-nim) Yun. The assistant instructors I learned under were Mr Don Nelson, and Master Eugene Harcourt, and Master Don Cote.

I have not seen many of these fine men in many years now since My military obligations interrupted my training. If you see them say hello on my behalf and wish them well.

TMW.

Master Eugene Marquart and Master Tim Cote, Don Nelson also became a Master over at the old school on University Ave.

 

[TimP]

Yes Grandmaster Yun was on the cover, I have an autographed copy of the magazine, feel free to contradict me but: GM Yun originally started teaching in Peru Illinois, about 100 miles from Chicago, the market was crowded and he ended up in Fargo in the fall of 1975 as I believe Tim Peterson and Don Nelson (later Master Don) started training at 312 N. Univ. Ave. around September of '75. GM Yun had been followed to Fargo by one his brown belts, (Red Belt when I started), Frank Boardman who went on to become his first black belt. In December of '75 Robin Sletto and myself signed up for classes (still have GM Yun's reply letter) and started classes in January of '76, the first five black belts were Mike Seminary, Sarah Strand, Robin Sletto, Eugene Marquart and myself. I started teaching at MSU (now MSUM) in March of 1979 and was extremely fortuanate to have very good students, Don Nelson was my assistant for nearly three years there, some of the best memories of my life. My only regret about teaching at MSU is that I should have put Roy Gilbertson in as instructor when I left instead of who I did. As it was it fell to Roy to rescue the club/school there when I left and he did it admirably.

I also did a search on Mr. Yun and came across this page. Wow, brings back many memories. I was one of Mr. Yun's 1st students, and he taught me a lot, both in the martial arts and also in how to deal with life in general. My self-confidence was strengthened by him, and I owe a lot to those years.

Unfortunately, work opportunities had me leave Fargo for a time, and I moved to Bismarck. I was a brown belt at the time, and the TKD instructor there was at the YMCA. I went down there, and he had me spar with his black belt. After a couple minutes of toying with him, I nailed him with a few things I'm sure he'd never seen before.

I walked back to the instructor and told him that with all due respect, after seeing his black belt and having Mr. Yun's teaching, I didn't think there was much there for me. I could have picked up a black belt there pretty easily, but I wouldn't have thought I earned it. With Mr. Yun, if you got your belt, you knew it was that way.

He still lives in Fargo, and in good health as far as I know.

UncleDuke- Were you at his house the time we were scarfing down KFC and beer and his wife brought out the KimChee? Holy crap, that stuff was hot!

 

[TimP]

 

[puunui]

I don't believe the Sang Moo Kwan exists anymore. GM Byung Jick Ro along with GM Yun presented me my 3rd degree in April of '83, GM Yun was originally Sang Moo Kwan (still have my old association pin as well as my Korea Taekwondo Association patch) I believe GM Yun moved over to the Chang Moo Kwan.

The Song Moo Kwan, founded by GM RO Byung Jick, still exists. The current president, GM KANG Won Sik, is also the current president of the Kukkiwon. The last three presidents of the Kukkiwon are also the President of their respective Kwan, GM UHM Woon Kyu/Chung Do Kwan, GM LEE Seung Wan/Jidokwan and GM KANG Won Sik/Song Moo Kwan.

 

[Dinkus Mayhem]

Fun thread to read, came across it in a google search I did for Great Grand Master Moo Yong Yun.

Lee's Tae Kwon Do Association (Grand Master Michael Lee out of Marshall, MN) is holding a Black Belt Summer Camp in late July and we will have the distinct honor of being joined by Great Grand Master Yun.

I am personally very excited about it, seeing as I am testing for my Black Belt in mid-June...having the opportunity to meet and train under Great Grand Master Yun so soon after that is amazing.

It is cool that he is still active and willing to share some of what he has learned.

 

[oftheherd1]

... a black belt from another school came to msum as a freshman last year and he's of korean ancestry and i was talking to him and i brought up grandmaster yun...he kinda looked at me funny...apparently his dad was his instructor and his name happened to be moo yung yun...i don't believe there is any relation...just kinda weird coincidence

In the Korean naming system, traditionally, the older son starts the naming scheme. His pick of the first given name will be followed by the other sons. So, Kim Tae would be the names of other brothers male children, and they would then choose a final given name. The same for daughters.

So it isn't at all uncommon for many people to have the same sounding name. Then there are different clans with the same pronumciation for the last name. So you can have different clans with the last name Kim, or Yi, or whatever. They are distinguished by different Chinese characters. Our interpreters used to use the International Telegraphic Code Book. They would then write the person's name in English, followed in parenthesis by the Code Book's number for the character used by that person's family.

 

[miguksaram]

In the Korean naming system, traditionally, the older son starts the naming scheme. His pick of the first given name will be followed by the other sons. So, Kim Tae would be the names of other brothers male children, and they would then choose a final given name. The same for daughters.

So it isn't at all uncommon for many people to have the same sounding name. Then there are different clans with the same pronumciation for the last name. So you can have different clans with the last name Kim, or Yi, or whatever. They are distinguished by different Chinese characters. Our interpreters used to use the International Telegraphic Code Book. They would then write the person's name in English, followed in parenthesis by the Code Book's number for the character used by that person's family.

This is true. My wife's older sister (who is the oldest sibling of 6) Named her first child Ji-yang...from there we have Ji-hoon, then our kids Ji-soo, Ji-ho, then their younger neices and nephews, Ji-won, Ji-hoo. The only one out of sync is her youngest sisters kids Min-jun and Min-hyuk. This is because they went along his families naming scheme.

 

[radmantkd]

I trained under GGM Yun and then mister don nelson from 1984-yun's retirement. Aftet his retirement, I continued training under then mister jim grimestad whom I met when he was 2nd dan. I remember the training drills GGM Yun put us through, to include the pushups on bricks, or just staying in the pushup position on bricks and knuckles until told to get up, which always took too long!lol I also remember the BB classes GGM yun taught. One in particular sticks with me because a specific BB, miss Lindsay, had impressed GGM yun enough for him to have her do a technique again. After which, he had her repeat a statement he made up for the moment which he had her say she was better than men, AND master yun! she was a bit reluctant to say the part about being better than master yun, but did say it after being pursuaded by yun. Ah, the memories!
I have the honor and privilege to continue training with GM Jim Grimestad today and recently passed my 4th dan test.

 

[glyphrunner]

I remember meeting Wanro Yun on three different occasions, all for testing. He came up to Grand Forks to test us back in '88 and '89. I'm rather surprised to see several people talking of how nicely he treated children, because the only time we ever had contact with him was for testing, and as a 10-year-old, you're not expecting to be yelled at mercilessly for things you were taught but taught poorly. Even while passing your test (and many did not pass) you felt as if you were the worst person in the world. I do echo the fact the classes started large and after a couple of tests were already down to only 2 to 5 people per rank.

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

I was a brown belt at the time, and the TKD instructor there was at the YMCA. I went down there, and he had me spar with his black belt. After a couple minutes of toying with him, I nailed him with a few things I'm sure he'd never seen before.

I walked back to the instructor and told him that with all due respect, after seeing his black belt and having Mr. Yun's teaching, I didn't think there was much there for me.

"With all due respect"?? That doesn't sound respectful at all. It sounds like you wanted to belittle his student by "nailing him" and showing that you were much better, and then you chose to belittle the instructor, rather than say something like "I don't think this club is for me".

I sparred with a guy much better than me a few months ago, then saw him spar someone else better than me last week. I commented to him, joking, "Wow you've gotten a lot better in the last few months. You weren't nearly so good when you sparred me a few months ago!!" Of course the reality is he held back and sparred only a little above my level - to me that is respect.

 

[phlaw]

I love that this thread still has somewhat recent activity. I heard a rumor that Grand Master Yun might be teaching an advanced class later this year. I guess I better get into better shape