9th Dan – Pin # 915

Grandmaster Chun Sik Kim, founder of the International Tang Soo Do Federation, began his Tang Soo Do studies at age 10 under Master Song Ki Kim (# 312). It was his uncle who decided that he should learn martial arts. He trained two to three hours a day and at age 12, earned his Black Belt.

In 1963 he joined the Korean army and became the head instructor at Osan Air Base, Korea, teaching Tang Soo Do to Korean and U.S. Air Force personnel. From there he went on to a four year assignment teaching troops of the Korean Tiger Division after which the commander of the U.S. forces in Korea asked him to return to the Osan base to resume teaching there.

He was the 1967 and 1968 Korean Army’s Tang Soo Do Champion and led the Korean team at the Fifth Asian Karate Tournament in Malaysia in 1969.

In 1970 he became the undefeated heavyweight champion at the First World Championship in Japan.

He came to the U.S. in 1972 at Grandmaster Hwang Kee’s request and spent two years teaching in New Jersey. In 1974 he moved to Pittsburgh. In 1975 he became a charter member of the U.S. Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation and in 1982 was elected Chairman.

In 1984 he founded the International Tang Soo Do Federation. Since 1974, he has also directed the All Martial Arts Championship, one of the United States’ largest traditional tournaments. Grandmaster Kim has been featured on the cover of eight martial arts magazines such as Black Belt Magazine in March 1979, November 1987 and May 1995, Karate Illustrated in January 1980, and Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated in June 1996.

Some of his other distinctions include:

1980 – U.S. Team Coach.

1988 – All American Hall of Fame – Madison Square Garden, N.Y.

1995 – Black Belt Magazine Man of the Year

2001 – Cover and Feature Article Tae Kwon Do Times

He is also the author of “Authentic Tang Soo Do” – 1988.