Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, Father of Tae Kwon Do in America and a true martial art visionary, celebrated his 80th birthday at a gala given in his honor at the Caucus Room of  he U.S. Capitol.

The evening’s highlight was a demonstration of his martial arts skills to congressional members, the Korean Ambassador and a veritable who’s who of martial artists. Rhee migrated to this country after the Korean War and built a chain of schools in the U.S. and former Soviet Union.

Over 250 VIPs gathered on September 30th in the halls of the United States Congress to celebrate and honor the “Father of Tae Kwon Do in America,” Grandmaster Jhoon G. Rhee.

The evening was a grand celebration of Grandmaster Rhee’s 45 years as a pioneer in martial arts instruction and to honor his 80th birthday. The Caucus Room of the U.S. Capitol Cannon Office Building was packed with a veritable who’s who of VIPs in martial arts and politics including former representative Bob Livingston (R–LA), and Grandmasters Y.K. Kim and Jong Soo Park. Guests also included Walter Anderson, publisher of Parade magazine; William Cecil, president of the Biltmore Estate; and His Excellency Duk-Soo Han, the Korean Ambassador to the United States.

For four-and-a-half decades, three days a week, Grandmaster Rhee has driven to the U.S. Capitol before sunrise to instruct members of congress in the House Gymnasium. He has taught more than 350 lawmakers and administration officials promoting many of them to the rank of black belt, including Bob Livingston, Jesse Jackson Jr. (D–IL), Mike Espy (D–MS, former Secretary of Agriculture), Pete Hoekstra (R–MI), Carolyn Maloney (D–NY), Gene Taylor (D–MS), Nick Smith (R–MI), Bob Schaffer (R–CO), Howard Pollock (R–AK), Toby Roth (R–WI), Bob Borski (D–PA), James Jeffords (R–VT) and Gerry Sikorski (D–MN).

Grandmaster Rhee has trained some of the biggest names in the martial arts as well. Allen Steen was his first Black Belt in America and became the International Grand Champion at Ed Parker’s 1966 tournament in Long Beach. Pat Burleson earned the unofficial title  of the “grandfather of American sport karate,” after winning the first national championship at the 1964 tournament sponsored by Grandmaster Rhee. Jeff Smith, John and Pat Worley, Ishmael Robles, Keith Yates, John Chung, Dennis Brown, Joe Lewis, Joe Corley, Stephen Oliver and dozens of other pioneering martial artists were there to credit Grandmaster Rhee with inspiring them to further develop the arts in America. Besides well-known martial arts champions, Grandmaster Rhee has taught celebrities as diverse as Muhammad Ali (who credits the grandmaster with helping him develop his punches) and motivational guru Tony Robbins (who earned his Black Belt and acknowledged Rhee as someone who helped shaped his philosophy). Bruce Lee once said that Grandmaster Rhee refined his kicking abilities.

Grandmaster Rhee was one of the recipients of President George Bush’s “Points of Light” awards to outstanding contributors to American society. He was also named to the list of the Top American Immigrants and is the only Korean on that list. He has served on several national councils such as the National Council on Vocational Education and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.

In fact, physical fitness has been one of the hallmarks of Jhoon Rhee’s career. He still does a thousand pushups and sit-ups a day and at the age of 80 can do full splits. Former representative Dick Swett (D–NH) commented that “Jhoon Rhee is like the humanoids on ‘The Event’ TV show—they don’t age and he is one of them!” Grandmaster Rhee demonstrated his 100 pushups in just 60 seconds at the September 30th gala, exceeding his own standard with 103. He also broke two boards with a front snap kick while balancing a full glass of water on top of his head. Grandmaster Rhee quipped that if he could balance that water perhaps Congress could balance the budget. Then turning serious, Rhee remembered his time in the Korean army during the Korean War in the 1950s. “I fought side by side with young American soldiers who came to defend my motherland, a land they had never seen before. That touched me, and I wanted to repay America.”

Rhee arrived at the airport in San Francisco in 1956 and he says he encountered a “wonderland.” He could not believe the prosperity in the United States. Grandmaster Rhee began teaching the Korean form of martial arts to help support himself as he went to the University of Texas. He was the first to teach what would become Tae Kwon Do in America. Grandmaster Rhee is also the father of musical martial arts forms, now a staple in all martial arts competitions, and the creator of the first foam-rubber sparring pads revolutionizing sport karate competition to cross over into the mainstream. For his contributions Black Belt Magazine named him one of the top ten most influential martial artists of the 20th century. Walter Anderson says Rhee is “one of the great people of the world.” Representative Ike Skelton, Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee, called Rhee “a national treasure.”

 

Grandmaster Rhee is currently promoting his new book, Trutopia: The Art of Happy Living, in which he lays out his lead-by-example philosophy. Summarizing the book, he said, “When I am truthful, my heart is beautiful; when my heart is beautiful, people love me; when people love me, I am happy.”

Grandmaster Rhee says it can be a new social awakening campaign for a peaceful global society in the Third Millennium. He says he will gather everyone together for another celebration on his 100th birthday.