Park Jong-soo (1941 – 27 November 2021) was 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 held the rank of 9th dan.[4][5] Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to Canada in 1968.
Park Jong-soo | |
---|---|
Born | 1941 Chūseinan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan |
Died | 27 November 2021 | (aged 79–80)
Style | Taekwondo |
Teacher(s) | Choi Hong-hi |
Rank | 9th dan taekwondo (ITF) |
Website | http://www.jongpark.com/ |
Park was born in Chūseinan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan in 1941.[4] He trained in taekwondo under Choi Hong-hi.[5] In 1965, he was invited to be the coach of the German Taekwon-Do Association, and moved from South Korea to West Germany.[4] Park was ranked 5th dan that year.[6] The following year, he moved to the Netherlands and founded the Netherlands Taekwon-Do Association.[4] Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Park was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied Choi around the world.[7]
In 1968, Park settled in Toronto, Canada.[4] In 1973, he held the rank of 7th dan.[8] In 1974, Park and several other ITF masters demonstrated taekwondo in Toronto—then being promoted as "the new home of the ITF" by Choi.[9] Park and Choi went their separate ways after Choi insisted on establishing relations with North Korea during a politically sensitive period.[10] By 2002, however, they were reconciled, and Park was present at Choi's deathbed.[10]
In 2004, Park was President of the Canadian Taekwon-Do Association, and presented a seminar in Afghanistan.[11] In 2008, Park conducted a seminar in Beijing.[12] He headed taekwondo schools in Toronto.[13]
Park is listed as a pioneer in Canada (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in Choi Chang-keun's list of taekwondo pioneers.[14]