The Korean Student Association presented 74-year old Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, the "father of American tae kwon do" before Spring Break to speak to AU students.
Jhoon Rhee, a 10-degree black belt, the highest rank in tae kwon do, is said to have brought tae kwon do to American culture. Although not born in the United States, Rhee became devoted to the country after visiting it in 1956, and told the AU students that "I fell in love with this country and what it has done for the entire human race," Rhee said.
He has trained celebrities such as Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, Jack Anderson, George Allen Sr., Bob Livingston, Tony Robbins, Jesse Jackson and Jack Valenti. He has also trained many members of the U.S. Congress in tae kwon do.
Rhee also introduced an element of dance and song into tae kwon do, making it more appealing and enjoyable. June 23, 2003 was declared "Jhoon Rhee Day" and approximately 30,000 people recognized his success on this day in Washington, D.C. Rhee was the only Korean American who made the "most recognized American immigrants" list in January 2000- a list that included Albert Einstein and Alexander Graham Bell.
Rhee immediately began his discussion with tough questions to provoke thought in the students. He asked, "Why do we live? What is the meaning of life?" Rhee then answered his own question, explaining that according to his philosophy, the purpose of life is finding happiness and health through beauty, love and truth.
Rhee declared that through these ideals, human perfection can be achieved. He used many biblical references to back his argument, and said that he thinks that a heaven on earth could be achieved within a few decades.
"The utopian society can come in 20 or 25 years. It is possible," Rhee said.
The tae kwon do master then demonstrated some of his abilities to the students by effortlessly breaking a set of three boards with a single punch. Most of the audience was members of the Korean Student Association or students in the tae kwon do class that is offered through Jacob's Fitness Center at American University.
Edgardo Diaz, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, said he knew little of the man before the presentation but was surprised and enlightened by what Rhee spoke
about.
"I was amazed at Jhoon Ree's reputation worldwide and his lecture on happiness-this concept makes simple sense to me," Diaz said. Diaz is enrolled in tae kwon do at AU with Master Hosan Kim. Emily Oxenford, a freshman in the School of International Service and a student of the tae kwon do class, said that she was very impressed by the grandmaster's enthusiasm, but not everything he had to say.
"It was extremely interesting to hear Master Rhee speak, not necessarily because of what he was talking about, but because of the passion he spoke with. He practices what he preaches, which is many times not the case," Oxenford said. "Though I do not agree with everything he said, I thought that it was inspiring to hear him speak"
