Grandmaster Sung Soo Lee is one of the most decorated instructors of Taekwondo and Hapkido in the world. Holding a 9th degree black belt in both Taekwondo and Hapkido, alongside numerous other accomplishments in the international development of Korean martial arts, he has over 70 years of experience and still teaches to this day. Hartmann Taekwondo is incredibly fortunate to be associated with the lineage of Grandmaster Lee and his teachings in Australia.
Grandmaster Lee was born in 1936 in Korea, and started his practice of martial arts from a young age. In 1953, he became a part of the Taekwondo Jidokwan (School of Wisdom), one of the nine original schools in Korea that would later form the World Taekwondo Federation (now just World Taekwondo). Three years later, he would attain his 1st degree black belt in Taekwondo. During this time, he would also be training in Judo, attaining his black belt in 1959. In the early 60’s, he would begin training in Hapkido during his time serving in the Korean army. He would become a black belt under the Korean Hapkido Association in 1965.
Alongside his training, Grandmaster Sung Soo Lee has a variety of notable achievements and held several high-ranking positions in the field of global martial arts. He has trained American soldiers stationed in Korea in the art of Taekwondo. In 1972, he was elected the National Team Coach for Taekwondo in Singapore, leading up to the 1st World Taekwondo Championships. Two years later, Grandmaster Lee would emigrate to Australia to share his knowledge of Korean
martial arts.
It was during this time that he established the Australian branch of Taekwondo Jidokwan, alongside his own school of Hapkido that he would title Moohakkwan. In 1975, he became the president of the State Taekwondo Association in NSW. Later, he would serve as the Vice President of the Australian Taekwondo Association. In 1979, Grandmaster Lee led the Australian national team for the World Taekwondo Championships that were held in Taiwan.
Grandmaster Sung Soo Lee was also then elected by the Korean Hapkido Association (now known as the Korean Hapkido Federation) as the president of their Australian branch in 1986. This would make him formally the foremost authority on their style of Hapkido residing in Australia. Grandmaster Lee would receive his 9th degree in Taekwondo from the Kukkiwon in 1993, and his 9th degree in Hapkido from the KHA in 1996, making him one of the (if not the only) people in the world to hold both ranks.
Hartmann Taekwondo has had the opportunity to train with and grade under Grandmaster Lee many times over the years. The team of black belts at Hartmann Hapkido have been privileged to travel with Grandmaster Lee to Korea on two occasions to participate in the Hapkido Masters Seminar, a gathering of practitioners from all across the globe for a week of training. He has also presided over gradings at our club, and our instructors have been fortunate enough to be
invited into his home for personal instruction as well.
Beyond his list of accomplishments, Grandmaster Sung Soo Lee is one of the most thoughtful, respectful, and wise instructors in the realm of martial arts. He embodies every ideal that martial artists would hope to obtain, and gives so much of his time and energy to share his passion for Korean martial arts with the world. The team at Hartmann Taekwondo cannot overstate their appreciation for everything Grandmaster Lee has done for them, and we hope to continue the legacy of his Jidokwan and Moo Hak Kwan teachings for the years to come.
