__NOTOC__

Rhee Ki Ha (born 20 March 1938) is a South Korean Grandmaster of Taekwon-Do. He is widely recognised as the 'Father of British Taekwon-Do' for introducing the martial art to the United Kingdom since arriving in 1967.Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th Dan Retrieved on 29 July 2007; link has expired, as at 25 January 2010. New version retrieved on 25 January 2010. He is also considered the 'Father of Irish Taekwon-Do',Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association: Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th degree black belt Retrieved on 30 January 2010. and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.Choi, H. H. (1972): Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.Park, S. H. (1993): "About the author." In H. H. Choi: Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence, 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.A tribute to the original masters (c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011. Following a career in the South Korean military, GM Rhee emigrated to the UK in 1967. He was a notable officer of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) during Choi Hong-hi's leadership.

Early life Rhee was born on 20 March 1938 in Seoul, Korea,Rhee, A. K.-H. (2011): First Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha Retrieved on 18 August 2011.Derby School of Taekwon-Do: Forty years of Taekwon-Do in the United Kingdom Retrieved on 13 January 2010; link updated on 25 January 2012. during the period of Japanese occupation. He is the eldest of seven children of Rhee Yung-ei and Ahn Soon-rae. Rhee's martial arts training began when he was around 7 or 8 years of age, learning judo from his father, and he was the only one of his siblings to pursue the martial arts. He later learned karate from one of his schoolteachers.

When Rhee served in the South Korean military forces, he came into contact with Choi Hong-hi and learned taekwondo in the 35th Infantry Division. Rhee was a key figure in the introduction of taekwondo across the world, contributing to demonstrations in many different countries.Vitale, G. (2009): A history of Taekwon-Do demo's (sic) Totally Tae Kwon Do, 5:41–45. He later taught taekwondo to the US 8th Army and, in 1964, travelled to Singapore, where he trained Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel at RAF Changi. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Rhee was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.Cox, S. (c. 2004): The history of Taekwon-Do and its founder Retrieved on 3 February 2010.

United Kingdom In 1967, some of his students in the RAF, who had returned to the United Kingdom, invited Rhee to travel there to teach. He arrived at Heathrow Airport, London, on 2 July 1967, and was ranked 5th dan at the time. Reportedly, Rhee only planned to stay for two years, but ended up settling there. Rhee Ki-ha founded the United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association (UKTA) in 1967,United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association Scotland Retrieved on 30 January 2010. and the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association in 1972, at which time he was ranked 5th dan,Irish National Tae Kwon-Do Association: Mr. Thomas Connor IV degree Retrieved on 30 January 2010. and the All European Taekwon-Do Association in 1979. He was promoted to the rank of 7th dan either by 1973International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history Retrieved on 3 February 2010. or in 1974, according to different sources. Rhee attained the rank of 8th dan in 1981, and was the first person promoted to 9th dan by H. H. Choi on 1 July 1997 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, taking from that point onwards the honorific of "First" Grand Master Rhee (FGMR) Rhee was also described by Choi as "the best ever student of Taekwon-Do."

Rhee is currently Vice President of one of the three ITF organisations.ITF - GM Rhee's Message Retrieved on 3 October 2009. He is listed as the "Founder of Taekwon-Do in Great Britain and Ireland" in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame.Taekwondo Hall of Fame Retrieved on 12 January 2008. He is listed as a pioneer in Europe (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in Choi Chang-keun's list of taekwondo pioneers.Choi, C. K. (2007): Tae Kwon Do Pioneers Retrieved on 15 March 2008.

Personal life Rhee married Heather Morris, sister of the UKTA's official photographer, in 1969. Their eldest son, Andrew Kang-hae Rhee (born 1970), is an 8th dan Senior Master, Taekwon-Do instructor based in Sydney, Australia.United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association: Other Masters Retrieved on 4 November 2009.Anonymous (2010): Training under the best Goulburn Post (8 January 2010). Retrieved on 30 January 2010.International Taekwon-Do Federation of Australasia: Master Andrew K. H. Rhee, VII Dan (2011). Retrieved on 18 August 2011.

See also List of taekwondo grandmasters Master Rhee

References

External links GrandMasterRhee United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association