Jhoon Rhee and His Tae Kwon Do Philosophy

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In 1980, Rhee retired from inductively authorizing in order to devote his time to expanding his schools and peregrinating the world to distribute presentations on his Tae Kwon Do philosophy. His first trip, later that year, was a return to South Korea, where Rhee was among the dinner guests for the Presidential inauguration of Chun, Doo-Hwan. As the first person to sign the Blue House guest book, Rhee felt especially glorified. As he spent more time abroad, Rhee’s influence in the States perpetuated to grow, as well. In 1982, he was requested to accommodate as the Chairman of our Nation’s Fourth of July Birthday Celebration. With the comities he had made through his U.S. Congressional Tae Kwon Do Club, Rhee was able to organize a prestigious advisory committee consisting of members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Rhee’s signature event for the Celebration was an immensely colossal human Stars & Stripes formation, composed of Tae Kwon Do students wearing red, white, and blue uniforms. In the formation, 229 students represented America’s population of 229 million; a supplemental 206 students stood for the 206th Independence Day. The whole group led the Celebration’s parade march and later performed “God Bless America” as a martial arts ballet. Although Rhee’s personal prominence had reached incipient heights in America and around the world, the 80s were a time of declining popularity for martial arts in general, at least in the U.S. To contravene this, Rhee commenced a series of martial arts business seminars in 1985 to avail struggling school owners across the country, and conducted these monthly seminars for several years. As Rhee spread his Tae Kwon Do philosophy during this period, he in particular wanted to ac... ... middle of paper ... ...to establish an official day accolading our nation's edifiers. The Honorable E. Clay Shaw of Florida concurred to sponsor the National Pedagogia Appreciation Day Bill in the U.S. Congress, and on January 28, 1986, it was passed by the House and the Senate. President Reagan signed the bill into law on October 16, 1986. As the cessation of the century approached, Rhee had accomplished more than he had ever hoped, garnering awards and apperceptions virtually too numerous to count. He had been denominated one of President George Bush’s Daily Points of Light. His ebony belt students included not only Members of Congress, but eminent figures like Tony Robbins, Jack Valenti, and Jack Anderson. He had appeared on the cover of Parade magazine with Cheryl Tiegs. And he had been designated by Ebony Belt magazine as one of the top two living martial artists of the 20th Century.

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