President’s message

Dear fellow martial artists & Studio Owners,

Thank you for researching my organization. Since the very beginnings of martial arts, and probably all types of arts, it was the tradition that the teachers/creators of the many different disciplines were the leaders in their industry and their teachings and knowledge were handed down from one generation to the next. The highest pride and status was set by who you studied under and who gave you certification, not by the rules and regulations set forth by any government.

This is why I decided to form the INTERNATIONAL TAEKWONDO BLACKBELT ASSOCIATION (ITBA), a martial arts organization not based on government politics but based on a passion for martial arts, an organization run by fellow dedicated martial artists. Yes, I'm sure you've heard of other Taekwondo organizations promise something similar but the difference is I've lived it and still am.

Having grown up doing martial arts all my life and learning from a figure like my father, I have seen and been a part of many martial arts associations. While they can unify schools, I have also seen a lot of associations fall apart because of infighting and politics. For many years, I was independent because of this and ran multiple schools in New York City and university clubs that were not affiliated with any association. In the last few years, I have been traveling across America and even to different countries to give seminars and meet with other instructors. I have found that there is a need for an association based on training and furthering Taekwondo education.

In meeting with instructors across the country, I have also found that many high ranking instructors cannot find instructors of the Grandmaster status who can test them for higher ranks.

My family's roots go back to the very beginnings of modern Taekwondo (after the end of Japanese occupation in South Korea). My father, Great Grandmaster Suh Chong Kang, was one of the first students of "Chung Do Kwan" (the first Taekwondo school in South Korea that was created after the Japanese occupation) and its founder, Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee, who awarded my father the first ever Taekwondo rank of 10th Dan Black Belt in 1982. The only other person that was awarded a 10th Dan black belt by Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee was Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee in 1998.

Not mentioned in their history, my father was the first president of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) from 1969-78 and then the vice-president of the ITF from 1978-83. The late Grandmaster Haeng Un Lee, the founder of the the ATA, was a former student of my father in South Korea and upon my father's arrival to the United States in 1969, asked to be it's president.

As for my father's acquaintance with general Choi Hong Hi, it goes back to the 1950s when my father was the head instructor for the South Korean army intelligence (present day KCIA). As a matter of fact, most of the original ITF forms were created by my father in the 1960s when General Choi was publishing his first book.

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was created by the South Korean government in the 1970s after seeing that the only world Taekwondo organization at that time, the ITF, was developing close ties with the North Korean government. Presently, one faction of the ITF is headquartered in North Korea and controlled by its government.

Obviously I have facts to prove what I'm saying, otherwise I wouldn't be making such bold statements.

I'm not here to insult the many great people that have helped put Taekwondo on the map, but at the same time, there seems to exist a lot of discontent between many independent Taekwondo masters and instructors here in the states and abroad. Many of these individuals are either too frustrated or don't believe that there is hope for them and believe that their voices will never be heard.

I'm not a politician, but I am a martial artist like you. I've dedicated my entire life to the traditional values and teachings of Taekwondo.  My goal is to unite those of you that share the same beliefs as I do, where we can help each other and grow together. Please Join Us to form a new chapter of Taekwondo!

Sincerely,