05.01.2022 Views

Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 22 | Issue 1

The #1 Business Resource for the Martial Arts Industry

The #1 Business Resource for the Martial Arts Industry

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

COVER STORY<br />

On November 19th, 2021, Kukkiwon’s newly elected president,<br />

Grandmaster Dong Sup Lee, and longtime colleague Grandmaster<br />

Eung Gil Choi, founder of the United States Taekwondo<br />

<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Academy traveled to the beautiful Mar-a-Lago resort<br />

in Palm Beach, Florida to present the 45th President of the United<br />

States, Donald Trump with an Honorary 9th Dan Black Belt in<br />

Taekwondo.<br />

“I heard that Donald Trump is highly interested in Taekwondo,”<br />

Lee was quoted as saying to the press.<br />

Understanding that some people may choose to assign political<br />

meaning to this event, the Kukkiwon president noted in his posts<br />

and images on social media, and in subsequent interviews: “This<br />

ceremony is not related to any other political issues.”<br />

Regardless of your political views, this is a significant event<br />

in our industry, and I, and the editorial staff of <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />

<strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> would be remis if we not only ‘covered’ this occasion,<br />

but also explored how this event could help shed light on the<br />

<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>, and how school owners might leverage this to help<br />

grow their school and impact in their communities.<br />

A Long History of Honoring Leaders all Over the <strong>World</strong><br />

It’s a logical question to ask. “Why would someone who has not<br />

studied Taekwondo be given such an honor?”<br />

It’s a long-standing tradition in the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>, to recognize<br />

and honor leaders in our society in many ways.<br />

The tradition of awarding honorary ‘degrees’ (doctorates and<br />

more), is commonplace in institutes of higher education throughout<br />

the world. These honorary titles are clearly not meant to be<br />

compared to degrees that are earned by students through study,<br />

research, and academic performance, but rather in recognition for<br />

contributions to society in other ways. Honorary degrees and doctorates<br />

have been presented to leaders and influencers like, Oprah<br />

Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Magic Johnson, P Diddy, and Muhammad<br />

Ali, for example.<br />

Organizations in the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> have also carried on this tradition<br />

in many, many countries around the world, and have been a<br />

great tool to promote the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> and it’s benefits.<br />

President Bill Clinton (when he was the Governor of Arkansas)<br />

was awarded an honorary Black Belt by the Founder of the ATA –<br />

Grandmaster H.U. Lee.<br />

Then Governor Bill Clinton Accepts Honorary Black Belt<br />

from ATA Founder H.U. Lee<br />

President George H.W. Bush Accepting Honorary Black Belt<br />

From Chuck Norris in 1992<br />

In 1992, then President George H.W. Bush received an Honorary<br />

Black Belt from Chuck Norris. The then president had been a<br />

vocal supporter of the martial arts in many ways. He had spoken<br />

and supported the efforts of Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee in the<br />

Washington D.C. area for many years, and helped Grandmaster<br />

Rhee establish international relations for top marital arts competitors<br />

to travel to Russia and other nations to spread the value of the<br />

<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> across the world. He was also a supporter of (now)<br />

Grandmaster Norris’ “Kick Drugs Out of America” program……<br />

President Barak Obama Awarded Honorary Black Belt<br />

by then Korean President Myung-Bak Lee<br />

In 2009, during President Barak Obama’s administration, South<br />

Korean President, Myung-Bak Lee awarded him an Honorary<br />

Black Belt. President Obama did actually study Taekwondo as a<br />

Junior Senator, and earned a Green Belt, but as is typical, this presentation<br />

was not based on years of study and training, but rather<br />

on accomplishments outside the Dojang.<br />

On May 10, 2017 Pope Francis welcomed then WTF President<br />

Chungwon Choue, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Jonghyu<br />

Jeong, and the President of the Italian Taekwondo Federation<br />

Angelo Cito to St. Peters Square. During an inspiring, small<br />

ceremony, the Pope was awarded an Honorary 9th Dan Black Belt.<br />

The Pope, who was an avid sports fan, graciously accepted the<br />

honor, and commented about his fascination at seeing the WTF<br />

Demonstration Team a few months earlier. The Pope expressed<br />

36 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>22</strong> | ISSUE 1<br />

Photographs from the Kukkiwon Facebook Page

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!