Jeremy M. Talbott is a regular contributor to Practical Martial Arts
and a prolific author on the Korean Martial Arts

Grandmaster Lee, Won-kuk was born April 13, 1907. Since his youth, Grandmaster Lee has always had a love for the martial arts. However, due to the Japanese occupation of Korea, Lee never had the chance to study at an early age. "I had an interest in martial arts when I was a young man. However, this was during Korea's occupation by the Japanese and it was forbidden by the Japanese to teach or study any martial arts. Outside of Korea, though, I was allowed to study Chinese and Japanese martial arts." (Massar/St. Cyrien)

Grandmaster Lee started his martial arts training during his college years at the Central University law school in Japan. There he studied, what is now known as Shoto-kan Karate-do, under Great Grandmaster Gichin Funakoshi. "As a young man, I visited martial arts centers including the birthplace of Karate in Okinawa, Kung Fu centers in Henan and Shanghai China, and other places. I studied Karate with Sensei Hunagoshi, founder of Goju-ryu Karate and a Japanese national hero."(Lee)

A while after achieving his black belt from Grandmaster Funakoshi, Lee decided to return to his home of Korea so that he could show his people the beauty of the martial arts. "I practiced Tang Soo Do and came to realize this type of skill was very important to have. I became aware that our Korean national history and legacy of martial arts were being kept from us. I felt very bad about this."(Lee) Upon his return in 1944, Lee applied to the occupation government to be allowed to teach martial arts in Korea. He was turned down the first two times, but upon the third time, he was approved with the help of the Japanese Governor General Abe. It was a dark time for Lee as he was truly remorseful for having a relationship with such a sponsor. Though it may not have been the way Grand Master Lee would have liked it, he taught the art of Tang Soo Do for the first time in Korea at the Yung Shin School Gymnasium in Sa De Mun, Ok Chun Dong district in Seoul.

"In the early days, Chung Do consisted of ten hand and eight kicking techniques all aim at the vital points of the body. The hand techniques were punch, spear-hand, palm, knife-hand, inner ridge-hand (between thumb and forefinger), twin fingers, single finger, back fist and tiger fist. The kicking techniques consisted of front, side, round and back kick and these were aimed at various levels of the body." (Massar/St.Cyrien) The name Chung Do means 'Blue Wave'. Grand Master Lee arrived at this name while sitting at a beach one day and watching the waves come in. He set in his mind that the waves were strong and unstoppable and that is how he wanted his martial art to be known.

It wasn't too long before the popularity of Chung Do Kwan gained national attention. Though some may have considered this an advantage, this became a nightmare for Lee. Korea's first President, Syngman Rhee, requested that all Chung do Kwan members apply for membership in the Korean Republican Party. In exchange, Grand Master Lee was offered the post of Minister of Internal Affairs. Due to his suspicion of the government's motive in recruiting all the members, Grand Master Lee declined. "As soon as the offer was rejected, I was arrested and accused by the government of being the leader of a group of assassins. My wife and family, my students Duk Seong Son, Yung Taek Chong and several others were beaten tortured, and lynched by the government." (Lee) Due to this and the Korean Conflict, Grand Master Lee fled to Japan. Many of his students moved on to form their own Kwans of martial arts.

In 1976, Grand Master Lee, along with his wife emigrated to the U.S. at the invitation of General William Westmoreland, who commanded the United States troops in Vietnam. The General was a student of Lee's in the 1960's when Lee served for a time as Tae Kwon Do instructor to the U.S. military. To this day he lives as a retiree with his wife, Young Do Lee. He still enjoys calligraphy, acupuncture, hunting and the Asian board game, Pa Duk, as well as maintaining hi life-long interest in Taekwondo. Lee feels his greatest contribution was reawakening national pride in many Koreans who had become alienated from their traditional culture. "During the Japanese occupation, many Koreans identified with the Japanese while others embraced Communist philosophy. We helped to keep Taekwondo alive during the occupation by training in secret. I hope that I may continue to serve Taekwondo by speaking at functions and seminars." (Lee)

Sources and Recommended Reading

• Lee, Kang-Seok. Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee Founder of Chung Do Kwan. Tae Kwon Do Times, March 1997

• Master Frank Massar and Master Adrian St. Cyrien. Lee Taekwondo. TKD & Korean Martial Arts, April 1999
• www.taekwondo.net