Nam Tae Hi
Born in Seoul, South Korea in March 1929, Great Grandmaster Nam Tae Hi met General Choi on Cheju Island in 1953 and later joined the 29th Infantry Division of the South Korean military forces. Great Grandmaster Nam Tae Hi, then a captain in rank, was a senior member of the demonstration team which gave the seminal performance in 1954 before South Korean President Seung Man Rhee which led to the presidential decree that the martial art (then not yet known as Taekwon-Do) be a mandatory part of training for the military. Great Grandmaster Nam Tae Hi then co-founded with General Choi Hong HI the Oh Do Kwan, the training gym for the military where he had the role of Chief Instructor. At the Chung Do Kwan (training gym for civilians), GGM Nam Tae Hi taught Jhoon Rhee, recognized in the United States as the "Father of Taekwon-Do," when Jhoon Rhee was a first degree black belt. Great Grandmaster Nam Tae Hi served as one of the earliest ambassadors of Taewkon-do when in March 1959 he traveled to Vietnam and Taiwan as member of the first Korean demonstration team to travel outside of Korea. In December 1962, GGM Nam Tae Hi was assigned as Chief Instructor for the Vietnamese Army. In Vietnam, GGM Nam Tae Hi is known as the "Father of Taekwon-Do." He developed the patterns known as Hwa-Rang, Choong-Moo, and UI-Ji. GGM Nam Tae Hi served as vice-president of the International Taekwon-Do Federation and president of the Asian Taekwon-Do Federation. Great Grandmaster Nam Tae Hi moved to Chicago in 1972, opened a dojang in 1973, and taught Taekwon-Do for twenty years. He now calls Los Angeles home where he lives with his wife.
Grand Master Nam Tae Hi began his martial arts training in 1946. Every day after school he would go to the Dojang to train, not returning home until almost midnight. He did this 5 days a week. He trained in Tang Soo Do under Won Kuk lee at the Chung Do Kwan. His fellow students included Sun Duc Son, and Uhm Woon Kyu. After about two and one half years Nam Tae Hi reached the level of first degree Black Belt. Two of his junior students included the late Grandmaster Han Cha Kyo, and Grand Master Jhoon Rhee. In 1954 there was a military demonstration before the President of South Korea, Syng Man Rhee. This demonstration included Artillery, other weaponry and martial arts. Nam Tae Hi, now a second degree Black Belt, broke 13 roofing tiles using a downward punch. President Rhee was so impressed by this demonstration that he asked to see more after the planned program was over. Nam Tae Hi and Han Cha Kyo did not have any thing else arranged to do so they assembled materials and did a variety of different breaks. President Rhee even checked Nam Tae Hi’s hands to see if he was injured from performing the breaks. After the demonstration President Rhee ordered all military personnel to start training in this martial art. General Choi drafted instructors from a number of different Kwans to teach the soldiers. Nam Tae Hi was the person who peformed the patterns as General Choi created them. The General would suggest a move or two and after Nam Tae Hi performed them, the general would either accept the moves or offer changes. Nam Tae Hi himself contributed the patterns Hwa-Rang, Choong-Moo and Ul-Ji. He was often referred to as the General's right hand man. Without Nam Tae Hi's incredible performance at the demonstration for President Rhee, Taekwon-Do may not have had the opportunity to spread around the world as we have seen it do.
