North America became a central international home for Kangdukwon when Hwa Chong moved to the United States and began teaching at the University of Michigan. From Ann Arbor, his instruction connected the original Korean lineage with generations of students and a worldwide fellowship.
From Korea to Ann Arbor
Hwa Chong brought his Kangdukwon training from Korea to Michigan and guided generations of martial artists. The University of Michigan TaeKwonDo Club, founded in 1964 by James “Jim” Young, became an enduring center for that work. Early practices gathered in Waterman Gymnasium, while visits from senior Korean teachers kept the Michigan community closely connected to Kangdukwon’s founders.
A North American center with worldwide reach
The Michigan community also became a crossroads for Kangdukwon’s international development. Saleem Jehangir trained with Hwa Chong and Jim Young before establishing taekwondo in Pakistan in 1971. Students and teachers formed relationships that later supported the World Kangdukwon Federation and connected North America with Kangdukwon communities across Asia, Europe and other regions.
This regional hub brings those North American stories together while preserving the original articles in the archive. It can grow with profiles, dojang histories, reunion reports, historical photographs and accounts from communities throughout the continent.
Continue reading
Read Hwa Chong: Great Master of Taekwondo, UM-TKD Club’s 60th Anniversary, The Jim Young Photo Collection, “I have given you a compass. Now use it!”, and the Michigan archive.