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The Founder of Han Mu Do
Dr. He-Young Kimm has spent his entire life devoted to the study and teaching of Korean martial arts. As a child, Dr. Kimm began training in the martial arts in an attempt to avenge his father's beating at the hands of another family. While his desire for revenge spurred him to train harder and longer than other students in his classes, his training also made him realize that revenge was not the solution to his problem. Dr. Kimm began his martial arts training in 1953 in the arts of Yudo (Judo in Korea) and Bi Sool (Joint locking techniques). During his high school Yudo career Dr. Kimm captained a team to the national championships. Following his distinguished high school career, Dr. Kimm then became a cadet in the Korean Naval Academy. It was serving as a cadet that Dr. Kimm began teaching martial arts to the 8th United States Army in Pusan, Korea. In the winter of 1963, Dr. Kimm moved to the United States at the request of Dr. Mark Scully, President of South East Missouri State University (SEMSU). With the Korean government's permission, Dr. Kimm began training students at SEMSU in the arts of Hapkido, Yudo, and TaeKwonDo. After obtaining his Masters degree at SEMSU, Dr. Kimm moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to complete his doctorate at Louisiana State University. Throughout the 1970's, Dr. Kimm continued to gain the respect and attention of martial artists around the world. In 1975, Dr. Kimm became the first Hapkido practitioner to be featured on the cover of Black Belt Magazine. During this same time, Dr. Kimm's articles on Hapkido were sought by various martial arts publications. It was also around this same time that Dr. Kimm met met Grandmaster Myung Kwang-Shik. The two began a partnership that would produce Dr. Kimm's book on Hapkido, which is a translation of Grandmaster Myung's text on Hapkido and is referred to by many Hapkido stylists as the Hapkido Bible. In the mid to late 1970s, Dr. Kimm met Kuk Sool Won's Grandmaster, In Hyuk Suh. Grandmaster Suh and Dr. Kimm began teaching Kuk Sool together, with Dr. Kimm eventually being placed in the position of Secretary General of the World Kuk Sool Won Association. In 1989, Do Ju Nim, at the suggestion of Grandmaster Suh and Grandmaster Ji Han Jae, began to develop the techniques and philosophy that would come to be known as Han Mu Do. With the establishment of Han Mu Do, Do Ju Nim has not stopped his study of the martial arts. Even today, Dr. Kimm spends his days researching the history of Korean martial arts, as well as conducting various seminars and clinics around the world on the art of Han Mu Do. The following is some information concerning Do Ju Nim’s involvement in the martial arts of Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Kuk Sool Won, all of which influenced his formation of Han Mu Do. TAEKWONDO Do Ju Nim began his training in Tang Soo Do in 1958 through a friend, Lee Jong-sung, who taught him the basic forms, the Pyung An Hyungs and three step sparring drills. The two would practice together often with Do Ju Nim attempting to stay in close and throw, and Lee Jong-sung attempting to stay outside the reach of Do Ju Nim and utilize his kicking abilities. It was through these workouts that Do Ju Nim states that he began his comparisons of different martial arts.
In 1963 Do Ju Nim came to the United States to continue his education and teach martial arts at Southeast Missouri State College. He credits the assistance of Master Shin Bong-Yul with helping him find summer work teaching at various martial arts schools in the surrounding areas. While attending school at Southeast Missouri State, Do Ju Nim became acquinted with many high caliber martial arts instructors. It was through these contacts, and the respect these gentlemen had for Do Ju Nim’s abilities that he became an early member of the American TaeKwonDo Association. In 1974, the American Athletic Union held a meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, at which point a vote was made to accept TaeKwonDo as a member of the AAU. Among those in attendance at the meeting were Kim We-saing, Min Kyung-ho, Shin Bong-yul, Yang Dong-ja, Chung Wha, and Do Ju Nim. By this time, Do Ju Nim had moved to Baton Rouge while working on his PhD in History. The AAU accepted TaeKwonDo and Dr. Min Kyung-ho became Chairman of the AAU TaeKwonDo Committee. Do Ju Nim was asked to serve as the Southeastern District representative of TaeKwonDo. In 1975, the World TaeKwonDo Association promoted Do Ju Nim to 5th Dan after having received his 5th Dan promotion from Kuk Moo Kwan in 1968. It was also at this time that Do Ju Nim became interested in the World TaeKwonDo Federation and began learning the new forms of the WTF. HAPKIDO Do Ju Nim began learning Bi Sool and Yudo during his high school years (1953-1958) from Grandmaster Song Kwang-sub. Bi Sool was unique in its applications of knife defense techniques and big throwing circles. When Do Ju Nim began school at the National University of Pusan in 1959, he began training in Ja Min Ryu Hapkido under Grandmaster Yoon Young-jo. This style of Hapkido was different in that it emphasized lower kicking and use of the fists in place of higher kicks and palm strikes. It was through teaching this martial art that Do Ju Nim was able to learn English. While he was training, he was also a marine corp. cadet and was therefore required to teach Hapkido to the United States Army. From 6:00 p.m. until around 8:00 p.m. Do Ju Nim would teach the pilots and military police various Hapkido techniques, and in return they would then spend a couple of hours teaching In November of 1963, Do Ju Nim arrived at Southeast Missouri College after he was asked to continue his education while teaching martial arts through the University’s physical education department. Do Ju Nim became known for his specialty in knife defense techniques and big circular throws. After six years, Do Ju Nim invited Master Park Lee-hyun to come take over his position. The two trained together, with Do Ju Nim claiming to have learned several important points about kicking from Master Park. Also during this time, Master Park and Do Ju Nim would travel extensively giving demonstrations at martial arts tournaments and seminars. Do Ju Nim fondly remembers attending Bob Yenell’s tournament in St. Louis. It was here that Do Ju Nim met and became friends with Bill Wallace, the World Karate Champion. It was on the way home from one of these demonstrations that Do Ju Nim and Master Park stopped by Louisiana State University to visit the campus. Do Ju Nim was considering LSU for his PhD studies, and after meeting Dr. Spector decided to continue his education at LSU. Master Park took over Do Ju Nim’s teaching responsibility at Southeast Missouri College. In 1969, Do Ju Nim and Master Park founded the American Hapkido Association, with the intent of spreading Hapkido through the central and southern states. Do Ju Nim was elected President and Master Park became Chairman of the Board of Examiners. The two feel that the AHA accomplished its intended goals, but both thank their respective universities for their help in hosting one seminar each per year. The American Hapkido Association and the World Kuk Sool Association once joined together to present an eight-month instructors certification course in Hapkido/Kuk Sool. Do Ju Nim, and many other Hapkido masters, admit that one of the biggest turning points in people’s interest in Hapkido came about as the result of Master Han Bong-soo’s appearance in the film Billy Jack. Master Han’s highly complex kicking techniques in the film seemed to have caused a rush for people to find Hapkido instructors. Due to this increased interest, martial arts magazines became interested in the Korean martial art and in January of 1975 Do Ju Nim became the first ever Hapkido Master to be featured on the cover of Black Belt Magazine. As the interest in Hapkido continued to increase, Do Ju Nim began doing more demonstrations. During the 1970’s Do Ju Nim and some of his students would travel extensively to perform demonstrations. Because the sponsors of the demonstrations did not always cover the entire cost of transporting the required people and equipment, the group began selling Jhoon Rhee Safety Equipment (Do Ju Nim was the southern distributor of this equipment). Do Ju Nim notes the following as some of the more notable demonstrations the team gave: Joe Corley’s “Battle of Atlanta” – Atlanta, Georgia; Kim Soo’s “American TaeKwonDo Championships” – Houston, Texas; Jack Hwang’s “All American Karate Championships” Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Alan Steen’s “American Karate Championships” – Dallas, Texas; George Menshaw’s “Karate Olympics” – Houston, Texas; Khang Rhee’s “Martial Arts Expo” – Memphis, Tennessee; and Do Ju Nim’s own “Oriental Martial Arts Expo” and “TaeKwonDo Championships” – Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Since there were no Hapkido books available in the United States during the early 1970’s, Do Ju Nim translated Myung Kwang-shik’s book Korean Hapkido. This book was a welcome addition to Hapkido practioners, and became the training manual for the American Hapkido Association. In 1974 Do Ju Nim heard that Grandmaster Suh In-hyuk and masters, Park Myung-kyu and Park Young-il were teaching Kuk Sool in the New Orleans area. After a visit with Grandmaster Suh one weekend, Do Ju Nim and Grandmaster Suh decided to work together in order to spread their respective martial arts, which they called Kuk Sool – Hapkido. The two decided upon this arrangement because of a belief that the two could help each other. Do Ju Nim felt that Grandmaster Suh could teach him more Kuk Sool techniques, and Grandmaster Suh felt that Do Ju Nim could help him spread Kuk Sool faster because of his established connections. Do Ju Nim’s father-in-law would often visit his other daughter in California. During one of these trips in 1987, he suffered a stroke and lost the use of his arms and legs. The doctors explained that after one year of treatment he would regain the use of these limbs. With this in mind, Do Ju Nim and his family moved from Baton Rouge to California. While living in California, Do Ju Nim met Grandmaster Ji Han Jae, who is considered the founder of modern Hapkido. Grandmaster Ji indicated that Grandmaster Suh’s Kuk Sool had obtained a strong enough foundation and that Do Ju Nim should at this time help him spread his Shin Moo Hapkido. From 1987 until 1990, Do Ju Nim spent a great deal of time with Grandmaster Ji learning his style of Hapkido. In 1991, Do Ju Nim selected six hundred of the twelve hundred techniques required for the rank of 5th Degree Black Belt and published the Hapkido Bible. In 1989, Grandmaster Ji recommended that Do Ju Nim create his own style of martial arts. It was Grandmaster Ji’s belief that belonging to an organization would hamper Do Ju Nim’s freedom to continue learning and developing new techniques. KUK SOOL Do Ju Nim first met Grandmaster Suh when he heard that Grandmaster Suh would be in New Orleans teaching a clinic at one of the local martial arts schools. While the two did not become instant partners, eventually Do Ju Nim was asked to help Grandmaster Suh spread Kuk Sool through his relationships with the various martial arts magazines currently in print. Do Ju Nim on the other hand was extremely interested in learning the various techniques of Kuk Sool, specifically the weapons techniques, the palm strike techniques, and the forms. Do Ju Nim began learning Kuk Sool from the Ki Bon Soo (basic White-belt) through Black Belt techniques. After a couple of years, Grandmaster Suh indicated that he was moving to California where he had family living. Grandmaster Suh indicated that he would like to open a school when he arrived in California, and so he did. Do Ju Nim sent many of his own trophies and plaques with Grandmaster Suh, so that Grandmaster Suh’s school could be decorated. Do Ju Nim and his student Kim Tate then traveled to California to help give Kuk Sool demonstrations since most of Grandmaster Suh’s students were white belts and had not learned how to properly fall. Grandmaster Suh and Do Ju Nim agreed to spread Kuk Sool and Hapkido together. They decided to call what they were teaching Kuk Sool – Hapkido. Do Ju Nim discussed this matter with Park Lee-hyun, the Chairman of the American Hapkido Association. Master Park and Grandmaster Suh had many differences of opinions. Therefore, Master Park insisted that Hapkido remain under the control of the World Mu Sool Kwan Association. Do Ju Nim insisted that Hapkido needed more techniques if it was to grow in the future. With this in mind, Do Ju Nim asked Master Park to take over his position as President of the American Hapkido Association, which Master Park accepted and held until his death in 1987. In 1976, Do Ju Nim sponsored the Oriental Martial Arts Expo in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At this event, D.W. Kang, the publisher of Traditional Tae Kwon Do, was invited to do an article on Grandmaster Suh and Kuk Sool – Hapkido. However, due to problems with the pictures taken during the interview a separate photo shoot was held. At this second photo shoot Grandmaster Suh performed some of his trademark two-man throws. These pictures along with an in depth article on the history of Kuk Sool thrusted Kuk Sool into the forefront of the martial arts world. At this time, Grandmaster Suh felt that Kuk Sool was growing and needed to be distinquished from Hapkido. Therefore, from that time on Grandmaster Suh’s martial art was known as Kuk Sool, with the Hapkido being dropped from the name. Do Ju Nim was then appointed as Secretary General of the World Kuk Sool Association, a position that he held until 1987. In 1985, Do Ju Nim published Kuk Sool – Korean Martial Arts. The book was a massive seven hundred and sixty pages and contained techniques from White belt to 5th Degree Black Belt. It is of interest to note that the order of the techniques are not the same in Do Ju Nim’s book as they are in Chief master Seo’s book on Kuk Sool. It is Do Ju Nim’s belief that Grandmaster Suh teaches the techniques in the same order in which his book has them listed. Do Ju Nim spoke with Grandmaster Suh in 1989 about his future in Kuk Sool. He understood Do Ju Nim’s concerns and suggested that Do Ju Nim should develop his own style of martial arts and call it Yuh Kwon Sul. Grandmaster Suh then offered his assistance, but warned that he did not want to influence the formation of the new style. With that Grandmaster Suh offered Do Ju Nim his recommendation and insisted that when people spoke of Korean martial arts he wanted to hear Kimm He-Young along with Ji Han Jae and Suh In-hyuk. Source: Kimm, H.Y. (1994). HanMuDo: Korean martial arts. Andrew Jackson Press: Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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While attending the National University of Pusan, Do Ju Nim trained at the Han Kuk Jong Hap Che Yuk Kwan, which taught Yudo, Kong Soo Do, Hapkido, wrestling, weight lifting, and boxing. Grandmaster Yoon Yong-jo provided instruction. Grandmaster Yoon once told Do Ju Nim that martial artists should always have one main interest of study and two minor interests. With this advice, Do Ju Nim chose Yudo, Hapkido, and Kong Soo Do (this style contained some of the same forms Do Ju Nim had learned from his friend Lee Jong-sung, as well as some more advanced kicks).
Do Ju Nim English.