In March of 2014 Las Vegas has welcomed the 2nd Official Gongkwon Yusul Seminar


Here is the story of this exciting event.....

The 2nd Official Gongkwon Yusul Open Seminar was a very memorable event. So many masters were participating in a limited space provided for the event and unfortunately some of them couldn't participate in the physical training and were left watching from outside of the door.

The biggest impression I had from this event was the remarkable difference in the culture of seminars between Korea and US.

In Korea, relationships are built on hierarchy of age, title, position, status, etc. While generally a positive cultural trait, it does have its downfalls, especially in the Martial Arts Industry, where you will hardly find an older, higher degree Master attending a seminar held either by a younger or by a lower degree Master.

That is why, It was our honor to have Taekwondo 9th Dan, Grand Master Vo participating in the seminar and enjoying the event along with other higher Dan Grand Masters with pleasure. It was a great example of the true meaning of the word "humble".

I appreciate KAMA (Korean American Martial Arts Association) Group for providing such a wonderful event. I wanted to thank the president, Master Dae Hoon Lee in person, but unfortunately was not able to meet him. About 40 school owners joined US Gongkwon Yusul HQ after this event.

It was unbelievable. I could see a huge interest in Gongkwon Yusul from masters in US. Another Gongkwon Yusul seminar was scheduled in SF after Las Vegas. I received tons of phone calls from the masters in US who couldn't participate in that particular seminar and who wanted to have seminar conducted in their city. We are very excited.


During this visit, it was very important that I establish the US Gongkwon Yusul HQ and finalize the regulations and policy of the International Gongkwon Yusul Association. Now we have clear regulation guidelines, policy and benefits for those who wish to join US Gongkwon Yusul HQ.


One of the regulations I set for US Gongkwon Yusul HQ is the absence of a membership fee of any kind. There is no school membership fee and no individual membership fee. On top of that, the official Gongkwon Yusul school owners will have exclusive rights to their city or area. (One school in One city)

It is possible because we have a trademark in US. In Korea or US, there are too many martial arts schools in one city. It creates too much competition to survive in your area. Some of the schools end up loosing their martial arts culture in order to compete with others.

Therefore, to make sure that we teach the original and traditional Gongkwon Yusul in US, we decided to give exclusive rights to one school in one city. Thus you can confidently join US Gongkwon Yusul HQ now knowing that you will be protected from massive competition from neighboring schools.


The director of US Gongkwon Yusul, Master Joon Tae Kim is a kind and very respectful person. US Gongkwon Yusul Director is the one who helps other Gongkwon Yusul school owners. We need someone who is young, energetic, open minded and is willing to make sacrifices.

I can confidently announce that Master Joon Tae Kim is the right person in US. Anyone can approach him and ask for help or even advice regarding Gongkwon Yusul in US. He is willing to listen and help.


The one of most important conclusion I had after long-relay meeting with Master Joon Tae Kim and the Director of German Gongkwon Yusul HQ, Master Dong-Hyeon Yun in Las Vegas, is that we should respect all masters who will join US Gongkwon Yusul HQ. I've heard that martial arts industry in US is developing rapidly and it was all possible because of the first generation Masters who came early and settled down in US.

The young generation could step forward and have endless possibilities because of the hard work of the older masters. We will inherit same values in US Gongkwon Yusul HQ as well.
"In Gongkwon Yusul, we are one family." This is our slogan, it will carry on in the US as well.


After another great seminar in SF, I personally trained Master Joon Tae Kim for several days before I left. I trained him on everything, starting with the basics. How a student walks in and greets, how to make students to properly seat, how to warm up, and even how masters should start and finish classes.

Additionally I taught him how to teach from M to F with different and limitless techniques of Gongkwon Yusul properly. The unique quality of Gongkwon Yusul is not the physical or technical training.

It is learning the right manners, and deriving happiness from the teaching, philosophy, and culture from your master which will influence your daily life. This unique relationship between master and student is the key factor in Gongkwon Yusul culture.

Achieving it should be the ultimate goal of training in Gongkwon Yusul. I trained Master Joon Tae Kim until early mornings for several days so that he can fully understand Gongkwon Yusul. I have no doubts that US Gongkwon Yusul will be as successful as Gongkwon Yusul in Europe.

International Gongkwon Yusul Association will also contribute all resources to help the growth of Gongkwon Yusul in Korea as well.