S. Henry Cho

Sihak Henry Cho (November 9, 1934 – March 8, 2012), was a Korean taekwondo pioneer and instructor with the ranking of 9th dan who is recognized as one of the first people to introduce Asian martial arts into the United States of America. He was the student of Yun Kwei-byung . S. Henry Cho was originally a teacher of Kong Soo Do.

Life and career Grandmaster Cho arrived in the USA in 1958 after receiving his B.A. degree from Korea University in Seoul, Korea to pursue a Master's Degree in Business Administration at the University of Illinois. Upon graduation, Grandmaster Cho moved to New York City for work and ended up creating many branch schools across the nation. He was the creator and promoter of the All American Open Tae Kwon Do/ Karate/ Kung Fu Championship Tournament which ran for 50 years. During his lifetime he met and knew many notable American martial artists including Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Ki Whang Kim, Donald Hugh Nagle, Peter Urban and Ron Duncan to name a few.

The All American Open was held for 23 consecutive years at Madison Square Garden, and was attended by notable martial artists; Bruce Lee met Chuck Norris for the first time at the All American Open.

Grandmaster Cho is also the author of a number of books including Korean Karate: Free Fighting Techniques. He was president of the World Council of Martial Arts, Inc from 1991-2012. Grandmaster Cho has been featured on numerous magazines including the cover of Black Belt Magazine in 1979 and 2007.

He served as the head coach for the St. John's University Tae Kwon Do Club.

Publications Tae Kwon Do: Secrets of Korean Karate; Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1968 Korean Karate: Free Fighting Techniques; Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1968 Better Karate for Boys; Dodd, Mead & Co., 1969 Self-Defense Karate; Stravon Publications, 1970