lee h. park
Born to Sangsoon and Eungkyo Chang Park on December 25, 1939 in Seoul, South Korea, he married Yung Kim on August 18, 1969. Grandmaster Park moved from Korea to Cape Girardeau, Missouri in late 1969 where he had two children, a son Richard and a daughter Mira. Grandmaster Park was employed by Southeast Missouri State University as a physical education professor. It was at this time that Grandmaster Park also began Moo Sul Kwan in the United States.
Grandmaster Park was an avid believer in higher education and his experience proves just that. He graduated from the Soung Kyun Kwan University at Seoul, Korea in 1965, with a B.A. in Economics. He received a B.S. in Accounting at SEMO University in 1973. In 1979, he received an M.A.T. Degree in Physical Education from SEMO University. He also taught at SEMO University for over 17 years.
Grandmaster Park was founder and President of the American Martial Arts Sports and Education Association, Vice-President and Chairman of the Board for Teacher Certification for the International Council on Martial Arts Education. He had previously served as a Delegate At Large and Chairman of the Subcommittee of Safety and Equipment Development for AAU Taekwondo, and a past Chairman of the Board of Examiners for the American Taekwondo Association (ATA).
He had previously served as a Delegate At Large at the National AAU Tae Kwon Do Committee, was a past president of the American Hapkido Association, past chairman of the Subcommittee for Safety and Equipment Development for the National AAU Tae Kwon Do Committee, and a past chairman of the Regional Board of Examiners for the American Tae Kwon Do Association. In 1980, he was recipient of the Outstanding Coach Award at the 5th National Collegiate Tae Kwon Do Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.
Upon his death in 1988, Grandmaster Park was a certified 8th Dan Blackbelt in both Hapkido and Taekwondo, and was posthumously promoted to 9th Dan Blackbelt by the World Taekwondo Federation and the Moo Sul Kwan Hapkido Federation in Korea. Mr. Park also held a 5th Dan Blackbelt in Yudo (Judo) through the Korean Judo Association. He was a Hall of Fame member of the World Taekwondo Federation, Seoul, Korea, and one of the two highest ranking Moo Sul Kwan Hapkido Instructors in the world.
Grandmaster Park spread his martial arts teaching and philosophy in the few short years he had here in the United States and his spirit is carried on by the hundreds of Black Belt instructors that survive him and continue the tradition of his Moo Sul Kwan Martial Arts Institutes.
On Saturday, June 4, 1988 Great Grandmaster Lee H. Park passed away and was laid to rest in the Cape County Memorial Park. His best wishes went out to each of us and for that we must carry on our strenuous martial arts training in respect to our Grandmaster.
