Dr. He- Young Kimm

As a young man roaming the hills near Suwon, South Korea, he never imagined the course his life would take. Spurred to learn martial arts by an act of violence against his family, this young man would later become a pioneer in the introduction of Korean Martial Arts to America and a critically acclaimed martial arts author, journalist and teacher.

Dr. He-Young Kimm, born 1/17/40, began his martial arts training in Yudo and Bi Sool in 1953. By the time he had graduated from high school, he had captained the Yudo team and successfully led them to a national championship. Later, as a cadet at the Korean Naval Academy, Dr. Kimm taught martial arts to the 8th U.S. Army stationed in Pusan, Korea.

It was there that the young marine was invited to further his education and teach martial arts at a small university in the Midwest. At the invitation of the Dr. Mark Scully, President of SE Missouri State University and with permission from his government, Dr. Kimm began teaching Hapkido, Yudo and Tae Kwon Do in the winter of 1963. He spent six years there, spreading his art and attending classes. Then having been awarded a Master's degree in American History, Dr. Kimm moved onto Baton Rouge, Louisiana to further his education at Louisiana State University.

The seventies were a time of recognition and growth for the young martial artist. Throughout this decade, he gained respect for exciting demonstrations that he performed throughout the south and the seminars that he opened to members of all styles. His articles on Hapkido were published in Official Karate, where he also served as Technical Adviser, Karate Illustrated, Inside Bung Fu, Traditional Tae Kwon Do, and Cinta Negra to name a few. In January, 1975, he became the first Hapkidoist to grace the cover of Black Belt Magazine performing his trademark Double Flying Sidekick. Later in the year, Grandmaster Myung Kwang-Shik visited Dr. Kimm at LSU. Together they pledged to work together to promote Hapkido throughout the southern United States.

In the mid-70's, he met Grandmaster Suh, In Hyuk, founder of Kuk Sool Won. Impressed by the breadth of both man and martial art, Dr. Kimm joined Grandmaster Suh to help him promote Kuk Sool Won in America. It was a collaboration that would last for almost fifteen years. In his capacity as the Secretary General of the World Kuk Sool Association, Dr. Kimm promoted number seminars in the United States and Mexico and was a co-director of the World Martial Arts Championship and Demonstrations in Pusan, Korea. Dr. Kimm wrote and published Kuk Sool: Traditional Korean Martial, an immense volume cataloging the martial art as Grandmaster Suh taught him.

Dr. Kimm has devoted his entire life to the study of Korean Martial Arts. Not content to study one or two systems, he sought knowledge from the masters of many. Among his many teachers, Dr. Kimm considers Song Kwang-Sub and Yun Yong-Jo as his Yudo and Bi Sool instructors, Won Kwang-Wha and Ji Han-Jae as his Hapkido instructors, Kang Suh-Jong as his Tae Kwon Do instructor, Sub In-Hyuk as his Kuk Sool instructor, Son Duk-Ki as his Tae Kyun instructor, Cho Seung-Yong as his Kum Do instructor, Kim Kwang-Suk as his Ship Phal Ki instructor, and Sung Soo Dae Sa as his Zen instructor.

In 1989, with the encouragement and blessing of Grandmaster Ji and Grandmaster Sub, Dr. Kimm set out to create Han Mu Do or The Way of Korean Martial Arts. Han Mu Do is a self-defense art comprised of empty hand techniques, weapons techniques, the study of Ki, and the study of martial arts philosophy. It's central tenet is balance; balance of empty hand and weapons techniques, balance between the use of physical and ki centered techniques, balance of physical, mental, philosophical, and spiritual training, balance between left and right side techniques, and the balance between the traditional and modern philosophy and techniques.

As Dr. Kimm's interest in the historical and philosophical aspects of Korean Martial Arts grew, so did his disappointment in the relative lack of books of academic quality on these subjects. After years of research, Dr. Kimm wrote Philosophy of Masters. A book of parables published in both English and Korean, this critically acclaimed tome contains the biographies and the teachings of the most famous Buddhist figures in ancient Korea. This coffee table size book is also noted for it beautiful photographs, most of which were taken by Dr. Kimm.

While Dr. Kimm's career as martial arts author and journalist had begun in the 1970's, his reputation as a martial arts scholar would be established in the 1980's and 1990's. After publishing the books, Kuk Sool and Philosophy of Masters, Dr. Kimm would go on to write and publish Hapkido I and Hapkido II, based on the teachings of Grandmaster Ji, Han Jae, the founder of Modern Hapkido.

Later works would include Tae Kwon Do Self-Defense, an instructional manual for Tae Kwon Do instructors who wish to incorporate self-defense techniques into their curriculum and Han Mu Do: Korean Martial Arts, a guide to the martial art that he created.

In addition, Dr. Kimm is a frequent subject and contributor to martial arts publications around the world such as Black Belt, Karate Illustrated, Inside Sung Fu, Traditional Tae Kwon Do, Tae Kwon Do Times in the United States, Tae Kwon Do and Korean Martial Arts in the United Kingdom, Cinta Negra in Spain, Katana in Mexico, and Tae Kwon Do in Korea. He has previously served as Technical Advisor for Official Karate, and currently serves as Technical Advisor to Tae Kwon Do Times in the Untied States, Tae Kwon Do and Korean Martial Arts in the United Kingdom, Cinta Negra in Spain, and Katana in Mexico. He has also produced and directed corresponding videotapes for his books on Han Mu Do.

For almost ten years, Dr. Kimm has been busy researching and conducting interviews for his next book, The History of Korean Martial Arts. The book will document the history of martial arts of ancient Korea and trace their evolution to the practice of Modern Korean Martial Arts throughout the world.
Presently, Dr. Kimm resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife Hyun Ja. His time is split between performing Han Mu Do seminars, conducting academic research and teaching at his two schools.