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About Grand Master Ko
THE BEGINNING OF A MAN
Grand Master Yun S. Ko was born on June, 10th 1941 in South Korea on the island of Cheju. It was there that his parents raised him, his brother, and three sisters.
In 1955, at the age of 14, Grand Master Ko took his first lesson in the art of Tae Kwon-Do in an outside school known as Chang Moo Kwan. It was from that moment forward that Grand Master Ko committed himself fully to the martial arts, and continued training daily, no matter the weather conditions, along side his peers and seniors until the day he graduated high school.
After high school, it was off to the Navy where he served for three years; and in that time, was responsible for training the Marine Corp in the art of Tae Kwon-Do.
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THE MAKING OF A MASTER
After the Navy, Grand Master Ko attended college at Konkuk University studying animal husbandry for 3 yrs under Dr. Kye Byoung Yoon. He then studied one year in Japan and graduated in 1967. While in Japan, he trained at the Yo-Yo-Ki Karate School in Tokyo for one year.
While in college, Grand Master Ko trained under Dr. Yoon, the Jido Kwan president, and was the TKD Club Instructor as well as the head instructor at Yong San Jido Kwan School, teaching TKD before and after classes.
By 1967, Grand Master Ko had his own Branch School, Shin Chon Jido Kwan, and trained several national champions before leaving Korea to start a new life in America.
Listed below are the numerous achievements of Grand Master Ko:
- 1966-67 Training Karate Yoyoki Karate school in Tokyo Japan.
- 1965 1st Place Asian Karate Championship MWD
- 1966 College Team Championship Captain
- 1967-1976 Shinchon Jidokwan Open
- 1967 WTF Certified Master Instructor
- 1971 Committee of Referees of the Korean TKD Assoc.
- 1972 Outstanding Instructor of the year (Jidokwan)
- 1973 WTF Research & Development Committee
- 1967 International Master Instructor in the science of Tae kwon Do
- 1976 7th Degree Black Belt
- 1977 International Referee
- 1981 8th Degree Black Belt
- 1992 9th Degree Jidokwan Black Belt
- 2000 9th Degree Kukkiwon Black Belt
- 2006 1st branch school Seymour In
- 2010 Member of WTF education committee
- 2001-2003 Midwest Konkuk University Alumni President.
- 2012 2nd branch school Greenwood Indiana
- 2012 Member of the WTF Advisory committee
- Over 55 years Taekwondo practice/teaching and training.
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JOURNEY TO A NEW LAND
Searching for a better opportunity for his wife and family of three, Grand Master Ko immigrated to the United States in 1976 and began teaching Tae Kwon-Do at Princeton Community College in Illinois. After a semester of teaching, he moved his family to Indiana and shortly after opened a school in Columbus, Indiana. Starting out with a student base of 25 to 30 students, Grand Master Ko worked day and night trying to build a life for his family teaching the art that won him over as a young boy, hoping he too could impact the life's of others through the teaching of Tae Kwon-Do.
Through his years of training hard in poor conditions, Grand Master Ko was able to face the challenges and long hours of dedication required in starting a new school, and his hard work still continues...
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A SEASONED GRANDMASTER
Grand Master Ko, now a WTF 9th Dan Black Belt and a seasoned veteran, is celebrating his 35th year of teaching Tae Kwon-Do in Columbus. In those years, he has seen his students become National Champions, Instructors, Masters and has seen his schools grow both in numbers and in size. Although the times have changed from the day he opened his first school; he continues to work long hours every day ensuring each of his students gets the hands on instruction and inspiration they need to achieve their goals.
They say: "Martial Arts is not just a sport but a Way of Life", and Grand Master Yun S. Ko is living proof.
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