Song Duk-ki

Song Duk-ki (1893-1987) is the most important figure in the survival and revival of Taekkyon - the ancient Korean foot-fighting art. By the mid-20th century, Song was the last known master who retained full knowledge of the traditional Taekkyon curriculum, having learned it before the Japanese colonial period's systematic suppression of Korean culture. His willingness to teach and transmit the art to a new generation - particularly to Shin Han-seung, who became the primary vehicle for Taekkyon's modern revival - is the sole reason the living tradition survived into the modern era. Song Duk-ki was designated a Human Cultural Asset (Intangible Cultural Property No. 76) by the Korean government in 1983 in recognition of his role as the living repository of Taekkyon.