Haeng Ung Lee
Encyclopedia
Haeng Ung Lee (July 20, 1936 - October 5, 2000) was the founder, president, and first Grand Master of the American Taekwondo Association
.
(now northeast China
) after his family had left Korea
, returning after World War II
. From 1956 to 1959, Lee taught taekwondo to members of the Republic of Korea military. He started a commercial school to teach civilians in 1959. He later opened a school near a U.S. Air Force base, where he instructed and befriended an American serviceman, Richard Reed, who in 1962 sponsored Lee's emigration to the United States.
Lee moved to Omaha, Nebraska
, where in 1969 he co-founded the American Taekwondo Association
. Omaha remained the organization's headquarters until Lee relocated it to Little Rock, Arkansas
in 1977. In 1990, the ATA Master's Council awarded Lee the rank of 9th degree black belt and the title of "Grand Master".
On October 5, 2000, Lee died of cancer. Lee's brother Soon Ho
was later promoted to 9th degree Grand Master after a period of dissent regarding which 8th degree Chief Master held the most seniority. Even after Soon Ho was made the new Grand Master by the ATA Master's Council, there remained fighting behind the scenes. H.U. Lee's widow, Sun C. Lee, received her late husband's shares in the company and became the new chairman of the board of the ATA. H.U. Lee was posthumously promoted to 10th degree black belt, and awarded the title "Eternal Grand Master". He is the first ever to attain this rank in the ATA.
American Taekwondo Association
The American Taekwondo Association was founded in 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska by Haeng Ung Lee of South Korea. It is one of the largest taekwondo organizations in the United States, and in association with the Songahm Taekwondo Federation and World Traditional Taekwondo Union , is one of the largest...
.
Career
Lee was born in ManchukuoManchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
(now northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
) after his family had left Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, returning after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. From 1956 to 1959, Lee taught taekwondo to members of the Republic of Korea military. He started a commercial school to teach civilians in 1959. He later opened a school near a U.S. Air Force base, where he instructed and befriended an American serviceman, Richard Reed, who in 1962 sponsored Lee's emigration to the United States.
Lee moved to Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, where in 1969 he co-founded the American Taekwondo Association
American Taekwondo Association
The American Taekwondo Association was founded in 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska by Haeng Ung Lee of South Korea. It is one of the largest taekwondo organizations in the United States, and in association with the Songahm Taekwondo Federation and World Traditional Taekwondo Union , is one of the largest...
. Omaha remained the organization's headquarters until Lee relocated it to Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
in 1977. In 1990, the ATA Master's Council awarded Lee the rank of 9th degree black belt and the title of "Grand Master".
On October 5, 2000, Lee died of cancer. Lee's brother Soon Ho
Soon Ho Lee
Soon Ho Lee is the Grand Master Emeritus of Songahm Taekwondo, the American Taekwondo Association. He was given the title at ATA's World Championships in June 2002, succeeding his brother Haeng Ung Lee....
was later promoted to 9th degree Grand Master after a period of dissent regarding which 8th degree Chief Master held the most seniority. Even after Soon Ho was made the new Grand Master by the ATA Master's Council, there remained fighting behind the scenes. H.U. Lee's widow, Sun C. Lee, received her late husband's shares in the company and became the new chairman of the board of the ATA. H.U. Lee was posthumously promoted to 10th degree black belt, and awarded the title "Eternal Grand Master". He is the first ever to attain this rank in the ATA.