Blackbelt Magazine's 2004 Man of the Year
Son of Hwang
Kee
In the Korean martial arts, Hwang Kee�s name is legend. He founded the
Moo Duk Kwan, or Institute of Martial Virtue, just after the Japanese
were driven from Korea at the close of World War II. It quickly became
the most dominant of the five original kwan that emerged during those
turbulent times. The name Hwang selected to describe the art he taught
in those early days was hwa soo do in honor of the Hwarang warriors, but
circumstances soon forced him to change it to tang soo do in recognition
of Korea�s martial link to China and then to soo bahk do. The final
appellation means �way of striking with the hand� and pays tribute to
the ancient Korean art of subak.
Hwang envisioned the day when his traditional art would bloom nationally
and internationally, and under his leadership, it did exactly that. When
he passed away on July 14, 2002, it�s not surprising that many wondered
who would succeed him, and some expressed concern over whether that
person would be able to follow in the founder�s footsteps. They breathed
a sigh of relief when Hwang Kee�s son, Hyun Chul Hwang, took the helm.
A soft-spoken man with exceptional skill, Hyun Chul Hwang has followed
the Moo Duk Kwan path since 1954. He graduated from Korea University in
1969 with a degree in philosophy and began serving as the chief
instructor at the headquarters dojang shortly thereafter. He held that
post from 1970 to 1973, then spent part of 1973 and 1974 working as the
chief Moo Duk Kwan instructor in Athens, Greece. A veteran of martial
arts demonstrations all over the world, he was often seen engaging in
furious sparring contests with other instructors despite the fact that
he was a fifth-degree black belt. His self-defense skills soon earned
him the respect of his peers.
In 1975 Hwang received his most challenging assignment to date: He was
appointed chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee of the U.S. Soo
Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation. The new job definitely kept him busy.
He was required to attend every biannual rank examination held in the
nine regions overseen by the organization. He was also tasked with
standardizing the soo bahk do curriculum and making sure instructors
around the world were familiarized with the changes. During his free
time, he wrote detailed textbooks describing the history and techniques
of the art.
In 1989 his duties doubled when he was named vice president of the World
Moo Duk Kwan. Somehow he managed to hold both posts�until Hwang Kee died
in 2002, that is.
The death of his father came as a real blow, but Hyun Chul Hwang barely
had time to grieve. A few short weeks afterward, the board of directors
of the U.S. Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation voted to make the
ninth-degree black belt its new president. He simultaneously became
president of the World Moo Duk Kwan.
In the martial arts community, organizations frequently begin sliding
downhill once their founders pass on, but not the Moo Duk Kwan. Hyun
Chul Hwang immediately set about lifting the spirits of his followers
and preventing the membership from disbanding. He then outlined his plan
for the future of the art and the association and embarked on the
two-year Vision Tour, a whistle-stop trip that would allow him to train
with Moo Duk Kwan members around the world and brainstorm with them on
the biggest challenges they faced. Everyone�s mind was put at ease, and
the future of a fascinating and historical martial art was guaranteed.