Grandmaster Kyongwon Ahn was born in Seoul, Korea. His training in the martial arts began when he was twelve years old and continued through his residence in Korea. He served an internship with his instructor, Master Chang Bok Lee, as the Master Instructor for the Korean and American armies from 1955 through 1967.
Upon the request of the United States, he emigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio to begin teaching Taekwondo in August of 1967. In 1971, he founded the United Taekwondo Association (UTA) to help bring reputable martial arts instruction to the U.S. The goals of the UTA were to promote uniformity and standardization for the martial arts. In 1967, Grandmaster Ahn began instruction at the University of Cincinnati, where he still serves as an advisor. He has also taught at Miami University of Ohio and Xavier University.
During the 1970's when Taekwondo was beginning its climb to national and international status, Grandmaster Ahn was a member of the founding Board of Directors of the National AAU Taekwondo Committee (now the United States Taekwondo Union (USTU)). His work was adopted by the Technical Standardization Committee. From 1986 to the end of 1992, he served as President of the USTU, which is the national governing body for Taekwondo. Grandmaster Ahn, as President of the USTU, lead the United States Olympic Taekwondo teams in 1988 in Seoul, Korea and in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. He contributed greatly to Taekwondo becoming a full medal sport at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
In addition to his other activities, Grandmaster Ahn has served as the Chairman of the Ohio AAU Taekwondo Committee, Acting Chairman of the National AAU Taekwondo Promotion Committee, and head of the United States team at the 3rd World Taekwondo Championships in 1977. As a 9th Dan Grandmaster Instructor, Grandmaster Kyongwon Ahn is licensed and accredited by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) as a Class 2 International Referee and Master Instructor. He is widely known and respected nationally and internationally as a leading figure in Taekwondo—and as a tireless organizer and a dedicated master teacher.
Grandmaster Ahn has trained over 1000 black belts, including some to the level of Master, and over 50,000 students. Many of his students have received national recognition in competition and international recognition for their instructor and refereeing skills.
Grandmaster Ahn has recently embarked on a new venture to preserve the integrity of the art of Taekwondo in the United States. He is one of the founding directors of the newly formed non-profit organization—The United States Taekwondo Won—whose goals are to promote the art of Taekwondo and to preserve and protect the integrity of the art, rather than dealing with the sport aspect of the discipline. This new organization is our "National Moo Do Won." Grandmaster Ahn currently serves as President of this organization.
Grandmaster Kyongwon Ahn was recently notified by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) that he has been appointed as an Advisory Member of the WTF Legislative Committee. This is a two-year term, which runs from November 7, 2003 to November 6, 2005. This appointment is quite an achievement and a well-deserved honor for Grandmaster Ahn!
Grandmaster Kyongwon Ahn, of Ahn Taekwondo Institute and President of the United States Taekwondo Won, was one of 48 people honored at the recent 30th Anniversary celebration of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) in Seoul, Korea. Twenty-one individuals received awards from the Republic of Korea and an additional 27 received awards from the WTF. In attendance at the celebration on May 28th were WTF President, Dr. Un Yong Kim, 29 representatives from the General Assembly of the Republic of Korea, 11 representatives from the International Olympic Committee, and 450 other distinguished guests and athletes.
Grandmaster Ahn was presented with the National Sport Merit Award from the Republic of Korea. The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Lee Chang-dong, made the presentation. Mr. Roh Moo-hyun, President of the Republic of Korea, also extended special thanks. The award was for recognition of Grandmaster Ahn's effort to develop the Art of Taekwondo and inclusion of Taekwondo as a full medal Olympic sport.
In a welcoming speech at the event, Dr. Un Yong Kim said "I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all members of the Taekwondo Family across the world. When I look back on the 30 years of our history, I feel like seeing a flash back of a long drama. We have come along a long and bumpy road with the common goal of Making Taekwondo a universal sport. And we made it."
Grandmaster Ahn also received a special presentation at the WTF ceremony from representatives of Jincheon County, Korea. This was followed by Grandmaster Ahn's visit to the proposed taekwondo Park in Jincheon County – and a meeting with the Governor, Mr. Kyeong Hoe Kim. The USTW has pledged support for this project.
The January 2004 issue of Taekwondo Times magazine contains the column "The Last Word," by C. M. Griffin, which features Grandmaster Ahn and his recent meeting with some former students, who became founding members of the National Black Belt Karate Association (NBBKA). The column is entitled, "The Bridge Over the Ohio River." Click here to view the article.
On Saturday, May 4, 2002, Grandmaster Kyongwon Ahn was awarded "2002 National All Martial Artist of the Year." This prestigious award was presented during the opening ceremony of the 28th National All Martial Arts Championship, by tournament chairman Grandmaster Chun Sik Kim, president of the International Tang Soo Do Federation.
View the award plaque / View photos of the award ceremony
Election committee members included Grandmaster S. Henry Cho, president, World Council of Martial Arts; Grandmaster Richard Chun, USA Tae Kwon Do Federation; Grandmaster Chung E. Kim, publisher/founder of Tae Kwon Do Times magazine; Grandmaster Sung Ho Moon, USA president, Kang Duk Kwan; Grandmaster S.H. Kang, former vice president, United States Taekwondo Union; and Master Joe Goss, vice president, International Tang Soo Do Federation.
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