Kong Young-il

In this Korean name, the family name is Kong.

Kong Young-il (born 1943) is a South Korean master of taekwondo and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.^[1][2][3] He holds the rank of 9th dan.^[4][5][6] Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in the late 1960s.

Kong Young-il
Born	1943 (age 80–81) Korea
Residence	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Style	Taekwondo
Teacher(s)	Choi Hong-hi, Nam Tae-hi
Rank	9th dan taekwondo (ITF)

Early life

Kong was born in 1943 in Korea, during the period of Japanese occupation.^[4] He began training in martial arts in 1952, starting with Shotokan karate.^[4] In 1958, he moved to Won Joo.^[4] Kong won a scholarship to study at Kyung Hee University, and while in its Physical Education College, was required to train in judo.^[4] From 1963–1967, he served in the South Korean army, attaining the rank of Sergeant.^[4][5][6] Kong trained in taekwondo under Choi Hong-hi and Nam Tae-hi.^[4] Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Kong was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.^[7]

United States

Kong moved to the United States of America just before or in 1968.^[8] He and his younger brother, Young Bo Kong, founded the Young Brothers Taekwondo Associates in 1968,^[8] which is now located in Houston,^[9][10] Las Vegas, and Pittsburgh. In an interview, Y. B. Kong said that he arrived in the United States in 1972.^[11] In 1973, Kong held the rank of 7th dan.^[12] Kong has another brother, Young Joon Kong, who also competed and was involved in teaching taekwondo,^[13] but retired and became a golfer.^[14]

Kong was promoted to the rank of 9th dan in 1997 by H. H. Choi in Poland.^[5][6] He has two sons, Andy and Douglas, and two daughters.^[4] and appears on Choi Chang-keun's list of taekwondo pioneers.^[15]

See also

• International Taekwon-Do Federation
• List of taekwondo grandmasters

References

1. Choi, H. H. (1972): Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
2. Park, S. H. (1993): "About the author." In H. H. Choi: Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence, 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
3. A tribute to the original masters Archived 2010-05-25 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011.
4. Anslow, S. (2004): An interview with Grand Master Kong Young-il, IX degree Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
5. World Taekwon-Do Alliance: Grand Master Kong Retrieved on 22 February 2009.
6. Pioneers of Taekwon-Do: Grand Master Kong Young-il Archived 2010-02-14 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 13 January 2010.
7. Cox, S. (c. 2004): The history of Taekwon-Do and its founder Archived 2009-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
8. Young Brothers Tae Kwon-Do Institute: History Archived 2010-02-16 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 29 January 2010.
9. impactnews.com http://impactnews.com/blogs/cy-fair-impacts/now-open%3A-young-brothers-tae/. Retrieved 16 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[title missing]}
10. "Young-brothers-tae-kwondo-houston- - Yahoo Local Search Results". local.yahoo.com. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
11. Barcousky, L. (2005): Master of self: Grand master says Tae Kwon Do reaches beyond physical skill Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (10 April 2005). Retrieved on 29 January 2010.
12. International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history Archived 2011-08-31 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
13. Wilson, T. (2001): World's fastest kicker Black Belt (April 2001). Retrieved on 31 January 2010.
14. Wilson, T. L. (2001): The Kong Family Tae Kwon Do Times (July 2001). Retrieved on 31 January 2010.
15. Choi, C. K. (2007): Tae Kwon Do Pioneers Archived 2008-03-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 15 March 2008.