Grandmaster Myung H. Kim was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea during the Korean War in 1944. He began learning martial arts from his Father when he was a young boy. His first love was the throwing art of Judo. As a young man he competed heavily in Asia and emerged as All Asian Judo Champion. In 1962, Grandmaster Kim won the World Judo Championships and became South Korea’s first World Judo Champion. Due to a family crisis in 1964, he had to withdraw from the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. His strong dedication to his family took precedence over his personal goal of becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist.
During the mid 1960’s, Grandmaster Kim began preparing for his Master’s Degree in martial arts in order to be able to spread the art of Taekwondo under the direction of the World Taekwondo Federation. In 1970, he arrived in Cleveland and began Kim’s Martial Arts School. Grandmaster Kim continued to work and produce Black Belts up until his untimely death on May 22, 2000. He is survived by his wife, Bernadette, and his two sons, Joseph and John.
Grandmaster Kim holds the following achievements:
- 8th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo recognized by the World Taekwondo Federation
- 8th Dan Black Belt in Hapkido recognized by the World Hapkido Association
- 7th Dan Black Belt recognized by the International Judo Federation
- Doctor of Holistic Medicine
- Founder of Kim’s Martial Arts School
- Founder of the United Martial Arts Black Belt Association
- World Judo Champion
