Nam Tae-hi (Korean: 남태희; Hanja: 南太熙; 19 March 1929 – 7 November 2013) was a pioneering South Korean master of taekwondo[1][2][3][4] and is known as the "Father of Vietnamese Taekwondo".[1] With Choi Hong-hi, he co-founded the "Oh Do Kwan" and led the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association (KTA).[1][5]
| Nam Tae-hi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 March 1929 Keijō, Keiki-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan |
| Died | 7 November 2013 (aged 84) Garden Grove, California, United States |
| Style | Taekwondo |
| Teacher(s) | Won-kuk Lee |
| Rank | 9th dan taekwondo |
| Notable students | Han Cha-kyo, Jhoon-goo Rhee |
Early life
editNam was born in March 1929 in Keijō (Seoul), Korea, Empire of Japan.[1] He began training in the martial arts in 1946, training after school for five nights each week.[6] Nam's training continued in the Chung Do Kwan under Lee Won-kuk.[6] It has been claimed that Nam introduced Bok-man Kim (a pioneering master and one of the technical founders of taekwondo, working with Choi) to taekkyeon in 1948,[7] but other sources indicate Nam did not meet Bok-man Kim until 1954.[8]
Career
editWhile a captain in the South Korean military forces, Nam met Choi,[1] and acted as Choi's second-in-command in the early days of taekwondo. Nam was pivotal in the development of taekwondo, and was called Choi's "right hand man" in the latter's official biography.[9] In 1954, at the rank of 2nd dan, Nam participated in a military demonstration of martial arts for the president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee, and broke 13 roof tiles with a downward punch; Rhee was reportedly so impressed that he subsequently ordered all Korean military personnel to undergo training in martial arts.[3][6][10][11]
In March 1959, Nam was a member of the first Korean taekwondo demonstration team to travel overseas, demonstrating his martial art in Vietnam and Taiwan.[1] Around this time, he was appointed president of the Asia Taekwon-Do Federation, and was also one of the founding directors of the KTA.[9] In 1962, Nam was appointed as Chief Instructor of taekwondo for the Vietnamese army, and came to be known as the Father of Taekwondo in Vietnam.[1] Nam designed the Chang Hon taekwondo patterns Hwa-Rang hyung, Chung-Mu hyung, and UI-Ji hyung.[1]
Later life
editNam moved to the Chicago area in 1972, opened a dojang in 1973, and then later lived in Los Angeles.[1] He appears on Chang-keun Choi's list of taekwondo pioneers.[12] In 2007, he was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame.[13]
After being admitted to hospital due to pneumonia, Nam died on 7 November 2013 in Garden Grove, California, USA.[14][15][16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i World Taekwon-Do Alliance: Grand Master Nam Tae-hi Archived 2010-01-19 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 22 February 2009.
- ^ Grandmaster Van Binh Nguyen, IX degree Archived 2010-01-17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
- ^ a b Burdick, D. (1990): A history of Taekwondo Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
- ^ Van Binh Self Defense Academy: History of Taekwon-Do Archived 2010-03-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
- ^ A tribute to the original masters Archived 2010-05-25 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Weiss, E. (2000): Nam Tae-hi: Chung Do Kwan's quiet man Tae Kwon Do Times. Retrieved on 20 January 2010.
- ^ Archer, P. (1973): "Three stages of Tae Kwon Do." Black Belt, 11(7):28–32.
- ^ Anslow, Stuart: Supreme Master Kim, Bok-man Interview, Totally Tae Kwon Do, 27:11-23.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ History of Chang Moo Kwan Retrieved on 20 January 2010.
- ^ Vitale, G. (2009): A history of Taekwon-Do demo's (sic) Totally Tae Kwon Do, 5:41–45.
- ^ Choi, C. K. (2007): Tae Kwon Do Pioneers Archived 2008-03-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 15 March 2008.
- ^ Taekwondo Hall of Fame: Awards ceremony and banquet (6 April 2007). Retrieved on 22 April 2010.
- ^ Kido Kwan Martial Art International: Passing of Nam, Taej-hi (sic; 7 November 2013). Retrieved on 12 November 2013.
- ^ Tae Kwon Do Times: Colonel Nam Tae-Hi (1929–2013) (8 November 2013). Retrieved on 12 November 2013.
- ^ World Taekwondo Alliance Archived 2013-11-12 at the Wayback Machine (November 2013). Retrieved on 12 November 2013.