Rhee Ki-ha
founder - trainer
🌍 Korean-British🥊 ITF patterns, European Taekwon-Do pioneer, UKTA founder🎂 20-03-1938
Rhee Ki-ha (born 20 March 1938) is a living legend of ITF Taekwon-Do, universally known as the Father of British and European Taekwon-Do. In 1997, General Choi Hong Hi promoted him to 9th Dan Grandmaster—the first person outside Korea ever to receive that rank.
He began his Taekwon-Do training in 1956 during his military service in the 35th Infantry Division of the South Korean army, training directly under General Choi. His talent was immediately apparent—he was soon appointed an instructor to the Special Forces. In 1964, he became the first person in Korean history to leave the country with the official designation “Taekwon-Do Instructor” stamped in his passport.
From 1964 to 1967, he taught in Singapore and Malaysia, where he trained personnel from the British Royal Air Force. The RAF soldiers were so impressed that they invited him to bring the art to the United Kingdom. On 2 July 1967, Rhee Ki-ha landed in Britain, intending to stay for two years. He never left.
He opened the first British Taekwon-Do school in Coventry immediately, expanding within months to Derby and Oxford. That same year, he founded the United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association (UKTA). In 1972, he established the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association (RITA), and in 1979, he founded the All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation (AETF), building the organisational backbone of the sport across an entire continent.
Beyond his organisational genius, Rhee Ki-ha was technically one of the most precise practitioners the art has produced. General Choi relied on him to demonstrate and document techniques during the codification of the ITF patterns. On the iconic ITF posters and early instructional materials, it is often Rhee Ki-ha himself performing the Tul, making him quite literally the face of ITF Taekwon-Do for generations of practitioners worldwide.
He began his Taekwon-Do training in 1956 during his military service in the 35th Infantry Division of the South Korean army, training directly under General Choi. His talent was immediately apparent—he was soon appointed an instructor to the Special Forces. In 1964, he became the first person in Korean history to leave the country with the official designation “Taekwon-Do Instructor” stamped in his passport.
From 1964 to 1967, he taught in Singapore and Malaysia, where he trained personnel from the British Royal Air Force. The RAF soldiers were so impressed that they invited him to bring the art to the United Kingdom. On 2 July 1967, Rhee Ki-ha landed in Britain, intending to stay for two years. He never left.
He opened the first British Taekwon-Do school in Coventry immediately, expanding within months to Derby and Oxford. That same year, he founded the United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association (UKTA). In 1972, he established the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association (RITA), and in 1979, he founded the All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation (AETF), building the organisational backbone of the sport across an entire continent.
Beyond his organisational genius, Rhee Ki-ha was technically one of the most precise practitioners the art has produced. General Choi relied on him to demonstrate and document techniques during the codification of the ITF patterns. On the iconic ITF posters and early instructional materials, it is often Rhee Ki-ha himself performing the Tul, making him quite literally the face of ITF Taekwon-Do for generations of practitioners worldwide.