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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.Choi, H. H. (1972): Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.Park, S. H. (1993): "About the author." In H. H. Choi: Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence, 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.A tribute to the original masters (c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011. He held the rank of 9th dan.Grand Master Jong-soo Park: Biography Retrieved on 22 February 2009.Pioneers of Taekwon-Do: Grand Master Park Jong-soo Retrieved on 13 January 2010. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to Canada in 1968.
Early life Park was born in Chūseinan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan in 1941. He trained in taekwondo under Choi Hong-hi. In 1965, he was invited to be the coach of the German Taekwon-Do Association, and moved from South Korea to West Germany. Park was ranked 5th dan that year.Taekwondo Homepage: Geschichte des Taekwondo . Retrieved on 5 January 2010. The following year, he moved to the Netherlands and founded the Netherlands Taekwon-Do Association. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Park was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied Choi around the world.Cox, S. (c. 2004): The history of Taekwon-Do and its founder Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
Canada In 1968, Park settled in Toronto, Canada. In 1973, he held the rank of 7th dan.International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history Retrieved on 3 February 2010. In 1974, Park and several other ITF masters demonstrated taekwondo in Toronto—then being promoted as "the new home of the ITF" by Choi.Anonymous (1974): "International Tae Kwon Do demo held in Canada." Black Belt, 12(12):13–14. Park and Choi went their separate ways after Choi insisted on establishing relations with North Korea during a politically sensitive period.Gillis, A. (2003): Tiny master Toro, June–July 2003:100–107. Retrieved on 31 January 2010. By 2002, however, they were reconciled, and Park was present at Choi's deathbed.
In 2004, Park was President of the Canadian Taekwon-Do Association, and presented a seminar in Afghanistan.All Afghanistan National Taekwon-Do Association: News (4 April 2004). Retrieved on 30 January 2010. In 2008, Park conducted a seminar in Beijing.China International Taekwon-Do Federation: Grand Master Park Jong-soo visited China (15 September 2008). Retrieved on 30 January 2010. He headed taekwondo schools in Toronto.Jong-soo Park Institute of Taekwon-Do: Location Retrieved on 4 March 2010.
Park is listed as a pioneer in Canada (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in Choi Chang-keun's list of taekwondo pioneers.Choi, C. K. (2007): Tae Kwon Do Pioneers Retrieved on 15 March 2008.
Filmography +YearTitleRole1979Search and DestroyAssassinIMDb1985The Park Is MineTran Chan DinhIMDb TV Movie1982Seeing ThingsUnnamedIMDb TV Series - Park Jong Soo was in one episode in 1982
Schools and Instructors Grand Master Park Influenced
1965, Park traveled with General Choi Hong Hi on a goodwill tour through Europe, Asia, and Africa promoting Tae Kwon Do 1965, during the above-mentioned tour, Park became the coach of the German Tae Kwon Do Association 1965, Georg F. Brückner invited Park to teach in his Berlin dojo Billy Blanks was a student of Grandmaster Park Jong Soo In the early 1970s, Park oversaw several Tae Kwon Do schools. Two were in Western New York and were operated by Robert Heisner
See also List of taekwondo grandmasters
References
External links Jong-soo Park Institute of Taekwon-Do (narrated by Park).