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▲ Dr. Gong Si-young (former visiting professor at Youngsan University) © Korea Martial Arts Newspaper
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Martial arts are not simply fighting techniques. It is the crystallization of culture where the spirit and history of a people are condensed into gestures.
KUK SOOL WON (國術院) is a comprehensive collection of Korean traditional martial arts. It brings together the three branches of royal martial arts of the Joseon Dynasty, Buddhist martial arts of the Buddhist family, and Sado martial arts, which have been passed down orally among martial families for thousands of years, in addition to traditional wrestling and archery skills, as well as the strengths of Chinese and Japanese martial arts. It is a vast system that encompasses everything. It is contained in one system, including bare-handed striking techniques and foot techniques, joint techniques and suppression techniques, falling techniques and qigong, traditional weapon techniques such as swords, batons, and spears, and mental and physical training.
The person who organized and inherited this vast legacy as his life’s work is the founder, President Seo In-hyuk (born in 1939). He was born into a farmer’s family in Uiheung-myeon, Gunwi-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, but his grandfather was a military officer at the Korean Empire Training Center. Seo In-hyuk, who entered martial arts at the age of fourteen under the teachings of his grandfather, spent decades visiting martial arts schools and temples across the country to collect and restore scattered fragments of traditional martial arts.
On March 9, 1958, the system thus developed was presented to the world under one name. Guksul (國術), the martial art of the country. The first dojang was opened in Busan that year, and in 1961, the Korean Kuksul Association was established to solidify the institutional foundation. From the 1960s to the 1970s, it grew into Korea’s second-largest martial art after Taekwondo, with over 700 schools across the country, and in 1972, it was officially included in the Encyclopedia of Physical Education as a Korean traditional martial art.
In 1974, President Seo In-hyuk made a decision. Globalization of Guksul. The opportunity came from an invitation from Ken Duncan, who served in the U.S. Army at the time and became his student. He crossed the Pacific Ocean with only $50 and opened his first American studio in New Orleans, Louisiana, but at first, few people came to learn.
But he didn’t back down. He volunteered at large and small events and personally demonstrated martial arts over 300 times, securing trainees one by one. In 1975, the World Kuk Sool Association (WKSA) was founded, and in the same year, schools were opened in the UK and Canada. Beyond the simple distribution of martial arts, he did not miss strategic thinking by introducing management techniques and patenting the names of martial arts and uniform designs to create a brand.
The efforts paid off. In 1984, Black Belt magazine selected him as ‘Person of the Year’, and in 1991, it was adopted as an official subject at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and was also selected as a regular physical education subject at the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 1992, he was awarded the Commander’s Sword by West Point. It has been introduced more than 600 times in over 300 media outlets around the world, and has grown into a global martial art with 1.3 million members and over 800 dojos in 27 countries.
President Seo In-hyuk himself said this.
“Any honor given to me or any member of this organization is a credit to the entire organization, including all the individuals who make up this vast organization.”
It was a miracle created not by one person’s persistence, but by the chorus of many people who trained and sweated together.
Busan, October 2013. About 1,500 athletes from 42 countries around the world opened the first day with joint training on the white sandy beach of Haeundae. ‘2013 Busan World Kooksul Championships’ — It was a festival for people from around the world held in Korea, the home country where Kuksul was born.
USA, UK, Canada, Belgium, Costa Rica, Mexico, Iran, Kenya… The scene where people with different skin colors and languages wear the same uniform and greet each other with the same courtesy reminded us once again that martial arts is a language that transcends borders. The competition consisted of several events, including sparring, fighting, bar fighting, sword fighting, self-defense, and breaking, and there were no age boundaries from kindergarten to general.
About 500 players and their families visited Korea, their home country. It was a touching moment when the traditional martial arts of this land were revived and breathed in the hands and feet of people around the world after half a century. From the broadcast booth, I witnessed with my own eyes many more stories that cameras could not capture.
Among the many scenes, there is one story that touches a corner of my heart to this day.
Mr. Carl Beard from California, USA. He was seventy-five years old at the time and was blind and blind.
He wasn’t alone. I entered the stadium, relying on my wife’s arm. It was to showcase the sword dance form that had been quietly honed over the course of 15 years. Even though he was blind and his body was not the same as before due to age, he applied without hesitation.
The game has begun. After settling down with his wife’s guidance, he was soon alone. Only the 15 years of memories engraved in his body guided him. One movement, one movement, the texture of the sword that can be seen even with closed eyes, or even without eyes. A serious expression, unwavering steps. It was difficult to continue speaking in the broadcast box.
And after the interview, there was a place where my eyes stopped. It was the tip of his toe. The black pedicure that my wife had carefully applied was shining quietly under the fluorescent lights.
At that moment, my eyes opened. It wasn’t just a manicure. It was the wife’s silent declaration, “You deserve to stand on the stage today,” and it was a loving ritual that allowed the visually impaired husband to maintain his final pride on the stage of his home country when he came to participate in the world competition.
I thought for a long time. honor? Desire to win? Or is it simply because you like soup? Perhaps, beyond all that, it was the martial arts itself that had permeated his body after working together for 15 years that raised him up. Training is discipline, but at some point it becomes a part of you. Carl Beard was there at a point where giving up became more and more difficult.
If I were him, would I have been able to take on the challenge for such a long time and endure such discomfort? Honestly, I wasn’t confident.
Time passed. In early March 2026, I visited the United States to observe the World Kuksu Association’s CEP (Certified Employer Program, Dojang Manager Training Course) training. I suddenly became curious about his current situation. Is that old gentleman still showing up to the dojo wearing his uniform? How is your wife?
The news that came at the end of the inquiry was sad. Carl Beard said he passed away a few years ago.
I was speechless for a while. The corners of my eyes became hot. 13 years ago, at the stadium in Haeundae, the toes that were shining black under the fluorescent lights came to mind again. The expression on the face of an old man who flew halfway around the world with no vision and showed off 15 years of training through his body. The back of his wife holding his arm and quietly following him.
I hope you rest in peace in a good place. And that black pedicure will shine in my heart for a long time.
Carl Beard’s story is special, but at the same time universal. There are people with similar stories in dojos around the world. People who are sick, unemployed, have lost loved ones, or have lost themselves don their uniforms and knock on the door of the dojang. At first, you come to train your body, but soon your mind is trained and you rediscover the reason for living.
This is the most noble role of a good martial arts instructor. Beyond teaching skills, it is about lighting a great light of hope for someone who is suffering and facing trials. Just as the Pacific Ocean, which President Seo In-hyuk crossed with only $50, became an ocean of courage that Carl Beard easily crossed even though he was blind.
Currently, the World Kuk Sool Association has over 1.3 million practitioners in over 800 dojos in 27 countries. Behind that number are 1.3 million stories, each with their own story. A person who goes to the dojang every day while living a difficult life as an immigrant, a person who comes in a wheelchair and looks for movements that he can do, a family where father and son wear uniforms side by side, and children who feel ‘I can do it’ for the first time.
Although it is difficult, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the leaders who spread and teach traditional Korean martial arts culture around the world and convey warm emotions to countless people.
The reason they turn on the lights at dawn, the reason they don’t stop teaching even when they’re sick, and the reason they don’t take off their uniforms even when they’re lonely in an unfamiliar country are all for the sake of people like Carl Beard. This is for the sake of warm human stories that bloom between people who are connected through the language of martial arts, even if they do not speak the language or have different cultures.
I am proud of Guksul. I am proud of the soul of Korea contained within it. And I am proud of each and every leader who is working hard somewhere today to convey that spirit to the world.
“So that the lights of the dojo can tell any trainee that they are never alone, no matter how dark and difficult the time may be.”
– Contribution after observing CEP training in the U.S. in March 2026
