Ki Ha Rhee - Early Life

Early Life

Rhee was born on 20 March 1938 in Seoul, Korea, during the period of Japanese occupation. He is the eldest of seven children of Rhee Yung Ei and Ahn Soon Rae. Rhee's martial arts training began when he was around 7 or 8 years of age, learning judo from his father, and he was the only one of his siblings to pursue the martial arts. He later learned karate from one of his schoolteachers.

When Rhee served in the South Korean military forces, he came into contact with Choi Hong Hi and learned taekwondo in the 35th Infantry Division. Rhee was a key figure in the introduction of taekwondo across the world, contributing to demonstrations in many different countries. He later taught taekwondo to the US 8th Army and, in 1964, travelled to Singapore, where he trained Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel at RAF Changi. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Rhee was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.