Haeng-ung ("H.U.") Lee (July 20, 1936 – October 5, 2000) was the co-founder and first Grand Master of the American Taekwondo Association.

Career

H.U. Lee was born in

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...

, a puppet state of the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

in 1936. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, his family relocated to South Korea, where Lee began his martial arts training in 1953, and earned his first degree black belt in 1954. In 1956, Lee entered the Korean army as a trainer for special troops. He spent this time as part of an intelligence unit on Baengnyoung Island. After three years, he retired and opened a taekwondo school at

Osan Air Base Osan Air Base (K-55; ; Hanja: ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base located near Songtan station in the city of Pyeongtaek, South Korea, south of Seoul. Despite its name, Osan AB is not within Osan C ...

. There, he met Richard Reed, who would later be the sponsor to his emigration to the United States in 1962. Lee moved to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, where in 1969 he co-founded the American Taekwondo Association. Omaha remained the organization's headquarters until Lee relocated it to

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

in 1977. H.U. Lee developed the discipline of Songham Taekwondo in 1983. And in 1990, the ATA Master's Council awarded Lee the rank of 9th degree black belt and the title of "Grand Master."

Awards

Haeng-ung Lee was an active participant in charity work, and the ATA provided funding towards numerous organizations such as the

Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related Neuromuscular disease, neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived wi ...

, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure,

Arkansas Children's Hospital Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) is a pediatric hospital with a Level I trauma center in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is among the largest in the United States, serving infants, children, teens, and young adults from birth to age 21. ACH is affi ...

, and Arkansas Special Olympics. In 1991, he established the H.U. Lee Scholarship Foundation to provide funding towards active college students. H.U. Lee has additionally received several awards for his works and contributions, including, but not limited to, Key of the City Awards from

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, Nebraska; Corpus Christi, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Evansville, Indiana; Tallahassee, Florida; and Panama City, Florida. He also received the Kaleidoscope Award in 1994 and the Crystal Award in 1996 from the Little Rock Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Lee has also been inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Death

On October 5, 2000, Lee died of lung cancer. About 3,000 people attended his funeral in Little Rock, Arkansas, and President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

sent his condolences to Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey. Lee's brother Soon-ho was later promoted to 9th degree Grand Master. H.U. Lee's widow, Sun C. Lee, received her late husband's shares in the company and became the new chairman of the board of the ATA. H.U. Lee was posthumously promoted to 10th degree black belt, and awarded the title "Eternal Grand Master". He is the first ever to attain this rank in the ATA. In 2007, some of Lee's heirs decided to give a tribute back to Lee's home in the United States, and arranged to have a traditional Korean gate built in Korea and shipped to Little Rock. This cost about $1.4 million, and the gate itself weighs about 8 tons. This gate stands at the end of the Main Street Bridge in the heart of Little Rock, Arkansas, representing a symbol of friendship between South Korea and the United States, and as a tribute to martial arts.

References

External links

Haeng-ung Lee ATA Biography

History of the American Taekwondo Association
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Haeng-ung 1936 births 2000 deaths Place of death missing American male taekwondo practitioners Deaths from cancer in Arkansas Chinese male taekwondo practitioners Martial arts school founders South Korean emigrants to the United States People from Northeast China 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century Chinese sportsmen

Career

Awards

Death

See also

References

External links