Kyongwon Ahn

Who is Kyongwon Ahn?

Kyongwon Ahn, 9th dan, is a Korean taekwondo master who founded the United Taekwondo Association in the United States.

Ahn was born in 1937 in Seoul, Korea, and began training in the martial arts began when he was 12 years old. He served an internship with his instructor, Chang Bok Lee, as the Master Instructor for the Korean and American armies from 1955 to 1967. In 1962, Ahn achieved his Juris Doctorate from Kangwon University. In August 1967, he emigrated to the USA and began teaching tang soo do at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. He has also held teaching and advisory positions at the Miami University and Xavier University. Ahn founded the International Martial Arts Federation, now the United Taekwondo Association in 1971 in an effort to standardize taekwondo teaching methods.