The KIDO KWAN Martial Art International™ and the Kido Kwan Martial Arts Research Institue (Kidokwan Mudo YeonGuWon 기도관 무술연구원) was originally founded in 1988 as the Korean Kido Kwan™ to represent the Korean-based martial arts of Taekwon-Do (ChangHon & ChungDo Kwan), Hapkido and other martial arts. The first school was under the direction of Mstaer Kim, Yong-son at both his Kim’s Taekwon-Do locations on the East and North Side of Evansville (IN). After Master Kim’s departure, the schools were “passed” into the hands of two of his black belts, with one staying on the east side and the other on the north. The east side location soon closed due to the lack of consistent instruction and the north side flourished and soon moved into a much larger and well-equipped location inside Living Well Fitness Center™ (Mill Road) just to the north of their location on First Ave. (next to House of Hong Kong). The Chung Do Kwan side of the Kido Kwan stems from Evansville Korean Karate (Taekwondo) under Master Chung, Nak-young. They then turned over the school to Master Kim, Dong-hoon, and then the school split three ways with ATA, ITF, and WTA instructors.
Evansville Taekwon-Do has been the base school for the Kido Kwan since 1968!
1990 saw growth of the Korean Kido Kwan™ when the head instructor moved to Columbus, GA. and left the day-to-day operations of running the Evansville Club to three other black belts. So in October 1990, the Kido Kwan™ grew to two locations! The ’90s saw consistent growth in both locations, and by 1995 two other clubs were established by Kido Kwan™ black belts as they moved due to work, school, or military service. By 1999 the Kido Kwan™ had locations in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina. In December 2001 the Kido Kwan™ moved its headquarters school back to Evansville and has seen growth in all the surrounding counties as well. Today the Kido Kwan™ is well established with several part-time and full-time clubs. We have a 
dedicated staff to run the web pages and our prized Kido Kwan Discussion Forum! 2019 saw the Kido Kwan being based out of Cynthiana, Indiana with the formation of the Cynthiana Martial Arts™ dojang when classes started in April of that year.
The Kido Kwan Martial Art International™ has been or currently is a member of the International Taekwon-Do Federation®, United States Taekwon-Do Federation®, KoreAmerica Taekwon-Do Union, the United State Taekwondo Union®, USATaekwondo®, United State Taekwondo Won™, North American Hapkido Association, World Hapkido Federation, World Song Moo Kwan Association, World Hanmudo Association, and other national and international bodies of martial arts.
The Kido Kwan Martial Art International™ welcomes all martial artists interested in expanding their education and perpetuating their skills into the future. Our purpose in the Kido Kwan™ is to preserve General Choi’s Taekwon-Do and to continue creating, innovating, and perpetuating the ever-changing, fascinating art of Taekwon-Do.
The Kido Kwan Martial Art International™ has developed a reputation for maintaining a very high level of proficiency in the art, coupled with sound ethics. We are a synergistic group striving to be humble, honorable, responsible, and respectful. We also strive to reach the highest level of perfection, developing our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual thoughts and actions. Our trained, professional Instructors possess extraordinary skill, talent, knowledge, and wisdom. Their leadership qualities provide a positive atmosphere, which is coupled with innovative and progressive training ideas designed for those students who would like to learn Taekwon-Do the way General Choi, Hong-hi intended it to be. Only this way can we all truly perpetuate the art of Taekwon-Do into the future. Our instructors, students, and new members of the Kido Kwan™ are encouraged to seek continuous improvement and constant innovation. As mentioned before, we must continue to break traditional ways of thinking, realizing that a Taekwon-Do practitioner may make small improvements by developing new skills. Quantum leaps and revolutionary advances in martial arts require new road maps and new paradigms. This offers distinctively new ways of thinking about old problems.
We in the Kido Kwan™ have worked hard to develop and provide our members a distinctively unique method of sharing and teaching updated techniques, self-defense, and patterns. This creative, innovative, progressive, and logical approach expedites the students’ comprehension by internalizing his/her mind and motion, so they can perform at maximum potential. Therefore, the student can achieve their goals (both short and long-term) in a very efficient, productive, and professional manner. This will allow them the opportunity to achieve the rank of Black Belt in as little as 1250 hours of training and will ensure the quality performance, understanding, and knowledge necessary to gain self-mastery of the individual, as well as success in the art of Taekwon-Do. The Kido Kwan™ has gained its reputation by building on quality and logic; these main building blocks are standard universal requirements for establishing a firm foundation. We have a solid structure and a very stable association. We currently have over a 93% retention rate (for black belt and color belt students).
The Kido Kwan™ has achieved worldwide credibility, recognition, and exposure. We have accomplished this by developing and producing hundreds of extremely creative and proficient Taekwon-Do practitioners and many black belts worldwide. And of course, sharing and promoting the exchange of information that is not readily available at least not free from other sources if at all!
When becoming a member of the Kido Kwan Martial Art International™ AKA Kido Kwan™, one will attain prestigious and unparalleled status in an organization with an unquestionable professional standard of excellence, and quality. We are inferior to none, equal to any, superior to many – SINE PARI!
Gwen F. Hall, 9th Dan
Director of the Kido Kwan
13 thoughts on “ABOUT THE KIDO KWAN”
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Goog morning Sir/Madame,
ist it possible to access to the letters from the Masters from 2002?
Thank you for your answer.
Kind regards
Sir, we are in the process of updating the letters and they will be available to view by all
Greetings:
The document I have posted is part of a collection of memories set down by a colleague of a neighbor of mine. It’s a matter of interest in the stormy relationship between Grandmaster Son, General Choi, and the ChungDoKwan.
http://www.hellers.ws/ma/59-06-15-son-letter.shtml
I am approaching age 75 and training Goju-ryu privately now. Among my early forays into the martial arts were training in Riverdale NY with Ann McGrath who is pictured on the website annexed.
https://netkda.com/Website/instructors
Lee Kyu Soek, now President of the Asian TKD Assn, was her mentor and a member of Lee Won Kuk’s second black belt group. Master Shin, also pictured on the website, was one of Lee Won Kuk’s first black belts. I did not come to know Lee Kyu Soek, but I did meet Master Shin nearly 50 years ago. He operated a dojang in Laurelton, Queens and over saw the Riverdale NY in Master Lee’s absence. It was interesting to come to learn, in later years, that participants in our dojang, and that in Laurelton were so close in lineage to the founder. There were six levels of kup rank, no splits, no stripes. The hyung then were Taegu Series, Pyung Ahn series to green belt which then was 3rd kup. The Chang Hon hyung commenced with blue belt [2nd kup], brown belt [1st kup]. There were far fewer then than what I find in the Chang Hon patterns listed. From memory: Chon-ji, Do-San, Won-Yo, Yul-Gok, Toi-Gye, Hwa-Rang, Choong-Mu, Kwang-Gae, Poe-Eun as best as I can recall.
I find the detailed histories in this website the best I’ve seen in the years I’ve directed my attention and interest in these matters.
With respect.
Correction: On rechecking my facts, both Grand Masters Lee and Shin were second generation black belts of Lee Won Kuk. Grand Master Son was one of the first. In terms of dates of ranking, it appears his would have preceded General Choi’s.
Dr. Rosenstock,
In your list of General Choi’s Chung Do Kwan/Oh Do Kwan hyung, you missed “Dan-Gun” – between Chon-ji and Do-San, and “Chun-Gun” – between Yul-Guk and Toi-Gye.
Sir, I just looked at the issues you described, however, I do see Dan-Gun in the correct spot and Joong-Gun also in the correct spot, I would suggest that maybe your using the wrong phoentic spelling versus the more accepted spelling today?
I have just emailed Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee on the questions of the hyng as they stood in 1968. Perhaps he can shed some light on the discussion. I will be pleased to share what I might learn.
Thank you for your observations. In 1968 the teaching there was still following the Lee Won Kuk curriculum. Short of memory, I cannot tell you for certain, what all the Korean forms were, and how the names were spelled then, though they were plainly posted on the wall. We were definitely using the Shotokan kata through green belt. The Korean forms followed. Whether they all were indeed the Choi forms I cannot say. There remains a lot of dust under the rug in the matter of the changing of the guard in the Chung Do Kwan and a good friend of mine who was initially dan ranked by Son in NYC is adamant that Choi was not ‘the man’! The best reference might be to dig out what the first publications of Jhoon Rhee were back in that decade because he published a book for each of the forms being taught at that time and he’s from the first black belt class of Lee Won Kuk.
Here’s an interesting discussion on the matter…..
https://www.taekwondoforums.com/threads/chung-do-kwan-patterns.897/
Hello.
Is it possible to access to the letters from the Masters from 2002?
Thank you
Regret to report that I have not received a response from Jhoon Rhee or anyone in his organization regarding my inquiry.
In followup, of course I’ve come to learn that Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee has passed. The dojang of the New England Taekwon-do Association in Norwood, Mass. has closed. Their website is down. I managed to contact Grandmaster Shin of whom I spoke in my earlier emails. Since last seeing them over three years ago, he stated that he has no knowledge of the whereabouts of Grandmaster Ann McGrath, 9th Dan, nor her former student Dr. John Marshall, 7th Dan, a chiropracter, who she came to assist in running the dojang several years ago. Dr. Marshall remains in private practice. I have no memory of attempting to contact him these matters, but perhaps I will make the attempt. In terms of dates, Ann McGrath would be a contemporary of Gwen Hall in terms both age and entry into ChungDoKwan dan rank. I wonder if Grandmaster Hall had ever made her acquaintance? Grandmaster Lee Kyu Soek remains President of the Asian Taekwon-Do Union.
With respect.
I regret to inform you then, that GM Ann McGrath passed in July of 2017. She was 79 at the time of her passing and GM Hall did not know of her sadly.