Ki Ha Rhee

Rhee Ki Ha (born 20 March 1938) is a South Korean Grandmaster of Taekwon-Do. He is widely recognised as the 'Father of British Taekwon-Do' for introducing the martial art to the United Kingdom since arriving in 1967. He is also considered the 'Father of Irish Taekwon-Do', and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, GM Rhee emigrated to the UK in 1967. He was a notable officer of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) during Choi Hong-hi's leadership.

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. 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.

United Kingdom In 1967, some of his students in the RAF, who had returned to the United Kingdom, invited Rhee to travel there to teach. and the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association in 1972, and the All European Taekwon-Do Association in 1979. or in 1974, He is listed as the "Founder of Taekwon-Do in Great Britain and Ireland" in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame. He is listed as a pioneer in Europe (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s) in Choi Chang-keun's list of taekwondo pioneers.

Personal life Rhee married Heather Morris, sister of the UKTA's official photographer, in 1969.