TKD Times Interview

The officers of the World Kum Do Association discuss their new world body and the aspiritions and goals for the organization. Those interviewed were Mr. Jung Hak Seo, founder of the Korean Kum Do Association and former vice president of the International Kendo Federation, and new president of the World Kum Do Association, from Seoul, Korea; Mr. Duk Young Kim, WKA director from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Mr. In Jong Yoo, WKA vice president from Argentina; Mr. Jongkeun Jun, WKA executive director from Davenport, Iowa; Dr. David Joyner, director from Pennsylvania; and Dr. David Birdsell, director from Illinois.

TKDT: What is the earliest known history of Koreans practicing a sword art?

Mr. KIM: Practice of the sword art began during the period of the Three Kingdoms. Hwa Rang Do especially contributed to making all Korean martial arts systemic. Keueng Do (bow and arrow art), Tae Kwon Do and Kum Do were developed as martial arts for the defense of the fatherland during the period of the Silla Dynasty. According to many historians, all Japanese martial arts were inherited from Korea. The Japanese developed these arts in their own way--Karate or Kendo are examples. Japanese Kendo was developed in large part because Japan was governed by warriors for 500 years. But Korea was governed by scholars for many years and there was a tendency to look down on martial arts, so Korean martial arts weren't developed.

TKDT: How did the modern art of Kum Do begin?

MR. SEO: Until the day of Korea's liberation from Japan on August 15, 1945, Kum Do was called Guek Do and included full body contact. After this day, General MacArthur proclaimed that the Japanese were not to train in any sword art, so for a while, all sword training stopped. At that time I was a teacher in a police academy and began to teach Kum Do in an effort to help settle society. In 1950, the first sword art tournament was held. We have called this art Kum Do ever since then. In 1953, we established the Korean Kum Do Association, and I was chosen to be president.

TKDT: Historically, it is understood that you, Master Seo, have had a tremendous influence on Japanese Kendo. How so?

MR. SEO: The International Kendo Federation in Japan was established in 1970 by me and my Japanese friends who trained with me. We chose Gimura Dokudaru as president and I served as vice president. Now I have been chosen as president of the World Kum Do Association. I will work hard to pay back those younger generations who chose me as president.

TKDT: How is Kum Do similar to and different from Kendo?

MR. KIM: There are no differences between Japanese Kendo and Korean Kum Do. But like President Seo mentioned, Japanese Kendo was developed in large part because the country was governed by warriors for over 500 years--so Kendo was known by more people.

TKDT: Are there any special requirements in order to become a student of Kum Do?

MR. JONG IN YOO: No. People of all ages can practice Kum Do. Even physically disabled people can train. The best way to learn Kum Do is to train in combination with other martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do or Hapkido, but you don't need to be proficient in another martial art. Kum Do means training with a sword so it requires expert training. That is why we use juk do (bamboo sword) at first.

TKDT: Does Kum Do have belt levels as other Korean arts?

MR. JONGKEUN JUN: Yes. Like Tae Kwon Do has tenth gup to first gup and first dan to tenth dan; the highest dan is tenth dan. Only Mr. Seo, president of the World Kum Do Association, holds tenth dan so far.

TKDT: Is there a basic curriculum for Kum Do?

MR. YOO: The basics are very important for all the martial arts. This is especially important in Kum Do because of the use of the sword. For about six to eight months we train in the basics, then use hogu for fighting.

TKDT: Is Kum Do a practical martial art to learn today?

DR. DAVID BIRDSELL: Yes, the use of the Kum Do sword can be used for self-defense. All martial art self-defense techniques are the same. We have to know vital points first, then we can defend ourselves from attack.

TKDT: Are there injuries more specific to the practice of Kum Do?

DR. DAVID JOYNER: Kum Do training does not involve body to body attacks or twisting arms, etc., so there are no injuries. Sometimes we get bruises that can be easily cured by an ice pack.

TKDT: Who first brought Kum Do to the United States?

MR. JUN: The Japanese brought Kendo first to the United States. Kum Do training was started as a supplement art at dojangs 15 years ago. In 1987, Kum Do classes were offered in Iowa and has since spread to Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, D.C., and many more areas. The development of the art has only really begun here in the past ten years.

TKDT: How many practice Kum Do in the U.S. and world-wide?

MR. KIM: There are no exact figures on the number of Kum Do practitioners in the United States. There are an estimated 500,000 practitioners of Kum Do and Kendo in the world.

TKDT: Are there any national or international tournaments for Kum Do?

MR. JUN: Kendo tournaments have been held every three years since 1970. The first international Kum Do tournament will be held in August 1998 in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area and will be sponsored by the World Kum Do Association. There will be individual and team competitions.

TKDT: When did the World Kum Do Association begin?

DR. JOYNER: The organization began this year when Kum Do masters living in the United States met in New York City and chose Mr. Seo as president.

TKDT: What are the goals or objectives of your organization?

MR. SEO: The ultimate goal is to get Kum Do to Olympic status. Our objective? There are so many kinds of sword training all over that world--we would like to exchange skills and summarize the reasons why sword training was needed. We want to use these arts as peacemaking tools.

TKDT: Are there any branches of the WKA in the United States?

DR. BIRDSELL: Yes. The headquarters is in Iowa with branch schools on the East and West Coasts and in the Central States. All schools belong to the branch headquarters.

TKDT: Are there branches of the WKA in other countries besides the United States?

MR. JUN: The World Kum Do Association is a very new organization, so we need a lot of promotion. To date, we have branches in all areas of the U.S., including Hawaii. Internationally, the WKA is in Germany, Italy, Canada, the Fuji Islands, Agentina, and Korea.

The World Kum Do Association.1207 East Locusu st Davenport IA 52803.USA