Rhee helped bring tae kwon do to U.S.
Innovative South Korean grandmaster dies in Virginia at 86
Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, a Korean-born martial artist who helped popularize tae kwon do in the United States, preaching a philosophy of “truth, beauty and love” while teaching members of Congress how to kick and punch, died April 30 at an assisted-living community in Arlington, Va. He was 86.
The cause was complications of shingles, said his son Chun Rhee. When Rhee was diagnosed with the disease, about six years ago, it brought an abrupt end to a training regimen that included 10 sets of 100 pushups each day.
Few martial artists were as accomplished as Rhee, a onetime aircraft mechanic in the South Korean military who exchanged fighting tips with fellow martial artist Bruce Lee and boxer Muhammad Ali, and taught tae kwon do to columnist Jack Anderson, actor Chuck Norris and Washington Redskins coach George Allen.
Rhee “introduced Korean martial arts to the United States,” said Keith Yates, president of the American Karate and Tae Kwon Do Organization. “There are people all across the United States who can trace their martial arts heritage back to him.”
A 10th-degree black belt who could break a board with his foot while balancing a glass of Coke on his head, Rhee was responsible for two crucial innovations in tae kwon do. He created modern safety equipment for martial artists — foam padding for the head, hands and feet — and devised the martial arts ballet, in which “forms” (movements) are performed to music such as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and the theme from the 1960 movie “Exodus.”