GMC in Korea

On January 13 and 14, Sahjonim traveled to Seoul, South Korea to conduct a workshop and seminar.   This seminar was the first  introduction of  Choi Kwang Do to the country that gave birth to Tae Kwon do.   The fact that the country of Tae Kwon Do is now accepting Choi Kwang Do is a new page in the history of martial arts.  Sahjonim was invited to conduct these events by Grandmaster Ho Jae Kim, president of the World Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Federation (WTMF).  The WTMF is based out of Seoul and has numerous Tae Kwon Do locations all over South Korea.  Sahjonim was assisted by Grandmaster Woo Seong Gu from the United States.

Masters from Tae Kwon Do and Tae Kyun attended the seminar without noticing the time going by.  Sahjohnim melted the ice (it was quite cold outside) with his passionate lecture and demonstration of the CKD techniques. He also answered the many questions the attendees posed. It would be an understatement to say that this seminar built a bridge for CKD to Korea.

I traveled to Korea from Mexico in order to take part in this seminar. I took pictures and talked with the masters about the work to be done to introduce CKD to Korea. The following is what I realized during the seminar:

1. I am only a first degree black belt in CKD, so I  thought that meeting with people of high rank from other martial arts systems would make me nervous and that I wouldn't know what to say.  Thanks to my training, I was able to be confident in front of those that had had many years of training and experience.  This shows the depth of how quickly the CKD training courses can have an effect on someone’s life.
   
2. I am certain that CKD can become THE martial art that will represent the not only the martial arts community in Korea but of the entire world.  It is true that not only TKD but other martial arts have evolved greatly, but I know that CKD is at least 20 years ahead of any other martial art.system and that this gap will continue to grow.
   
3. The growth of CKD will be beneficial to  humankind. Although the time for the introduction of CKD in Korea was short, Sahjonim was able to teach them basics and I could see that the masters in attendance were very excited about the CKD training.  While there is a great demand for health programs all around the world, there are currently no sports that will match this demand.  Sports like TKD or boxing or even jogging are not fit for the elderly.   CKD’s techniques are perfectly designed to be biomechanically correct and to optimize health benefits.  Because of this, the art will quickly spread globally.
   
4. CKD will be the key to unite people from many countries into a big family.  During this visit to Korea, I discovered just the thing that will make that possible. Through CKD training, national boundaries will be torn down and people all over the world  will experience Choi Kwang Do.

From Yucatan, Mexico by Sahbuhnim Nam-Hwan Jo First Degree Black Belt.

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