San Kim Sean (; March 24, 1945 – June 3, 2025) was a Cambodian

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

teacher. He is often referred to as the father of modern

Bokator Bokator (, ) or Kun L'bokator (, , ) is an ancient Cambodian battlefield martial art. It is one of the oldest fighting systems existing in the world and is recognised as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Oral tradition indicates that ...

and is largely credited with reviving the art. At age 13, he studied Bokator under Master Khim Leak at Wat Mohamandrey. San Kim Sean also studied boxing under Master Chai Chheng in 1959 and 1960. He studied Judo under Kru So Meng Hong. and

Hapkido Hapkido ( , , ), also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do'' is a Korean martial art. It is a hybrid form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, chokeholds, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. ...

under Korean master Chhay Yong Ho. San Kim Sean was the founder of the Cambodia Bokator Federation and the Cambodia Bokator Academy. At the time of the

Pol Pot Pol Pot (born Saloth Sâr; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian politician, revolutionary, and dictator who ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until Cambodian–Vietnamese War, his overthrow in 1979. During ...

regime (1975–1979) those who practiced traditional arts were either systematically exterminated by the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

, fled as refugees or stopped teaching. After the Khmer Rouge regime, the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia began and native martial arts were completely outlawed. After the Pol Pot era, San Kim Sean had to flee Cambodia to the United States under accusations by the Vietnamese of teaching martial arts. Once in America, San Kim Sean started teaching Hapkido at a local

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas and later moved to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

. After living in the United States and teaching and promoting Hapkido, he left the United States in 1992 and decided to return to Cambodia to revive Bokator. In 2001, San Kim Sean settled in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

and after getting permission from the new King

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the House of Norodom, Cambodian royal house who led the country as Monarchy of Cambodia, King, List of heads of state of Cambodia, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodi ...

to begin teaching Bokator to the local youth, that same year, in the hopes of bringing all of the remaining living masters together, San Kim Sean began traveling the country seeking out Bokator ''lok kru'' (instructors) who had survived the Khmer Rouge regime. The few masters San Kim Sean found were old, ranging from sixty to ninety years of age; many were afraid to teach the art of Bokator openly. After much persuasion and with government approval, San Kim Sean effectively reintroduced Bokator to the Cambodian people.

Death

San Kim Sean died on June 3, 2025, in Phnom Penh, at the age of 80, after suffering a heart attack. His death was confirmed by **Vath Chamroeun**, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, who described him as a "living treasure" for his pivotal role in reviving Kun Lbokator and securing its recognition by UNESCO.https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/kun-lbokator-master-san-kim-sean-passes-away-at-80

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