Tae Yun Kim
| Tae Yun Kim | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | South Korea |
| Nationality | Korean-born U.S. Citizen |
| Other names | Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim |
| Occupation | Author, Chairman & CEO, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach, Teacher, Martial Artist |
| Known for | Publications, martial arts, business |
| Notable work | Seven Steps to Inner Power, The Silent Master |
| Website | taeyunkim.com |
Tae Yun Kim is a lecturer, author, and martial arts teacher.
Background
Tae Yun Kim was born in South Korea on February 2, 1946,[1] and came from the humblest of circumstances. She was not born in a hospital, but a shack. Tae Yun Kim was born into a family and culture where she had to endure both physical and mental abuse. She was cast away and was often left to starve, simply because she was a girl in the male-dominated society in South Korea. During the Korean War, she was abandoned at the young age of 5.
She began practicing TaeKwonDo at age 7, later becoming the first female ever to reach the level of Grandmaster in TaeKwonDo.[2] Kim came to America when she was in her early 20s and started the Jung SuWon discipline of martial arts and founded the Jung SuWon Martial Art Academy.
Kim has authored self-help and self-improvement books which are published in over 15 languages.[3] She is also the CEO and Chairman of Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, a manufacturer of particle measurement instruments and real-time contamination monitoring systems.[4] She started the computer company after the saw an IBM commercial with Charlie Chaplin and a red rose.[5]
She titles herself as Dr. Tae Yun Kim as she received an honorary doctorate from a university in South Korea in 2003.[6]
Martial arts background
Kim has been practicing different forms of martial arts for over 60 years.[7] Kim's martial arts lifestyle may have started from TaeKwonDo, but she has since founded a new discipline called Jung SuWon.
TaeKwonDo
Kim first fell in love with TaeKwonDo when she caught sight of her uncles training in the martial art of Taekwondo. She was fascinated and knew that this is what she wanted to do. She begged her uncles to teach her but they laughed at her. Finally, one uncle agreed thinking that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the hard training and all the bruises that were a natural part of the martial arts. To his surprise, she continued and excelled.[7]
Though her parents increased their physical abuse in the effort of stopping her, Tae Yun Kim persisted in her martial art training and became the first Korean female to earn a black belt and Master rank and became the first female Grandmaster in the martial arts in over 5,000 years.[2] Kim was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2009 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award,.[8]
Jung SuWon
The martial art of Jung SuWon is similar to TaeKwonDo and TangSooDo but is less about the competition, and emphasizes more the unifying of body, mind and spirit. Tae Yun Kim opened her own academy in 1985. Kim, referred to as Grandmaster by her students, is the founder of the Jung SuWon Martial Art Academy, the only place in the country which teaches the Korean martial art of Jung SuWon. The number of participants in TaeKwonDo in this country has doubled in the past decade to about one million. About 1,100 schools are registered with the United States Taekwondo Union, the sport's governing body situated in Colorado Springs, according to Sheri Boyd, the organization's administrative secretary, although there are probably triple that number scattered throughout the country.[9]
Contributions to the community
Tae Yun Kim strongly supports the United Nations Articles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). She participates in events all over the US in the hopes of ending female discrimination. Her charity acts led to her 2015 CEDAW Award for her Entrepreneurship and contributions to those in need.[10] Kim continues to be a part of the movement towards gender equality. Tae Yun Kim has worked with senators and lawmakers to help pass legislation ending inequality for women in the workplace.[11]
Books
Tae Yun Kim is an author. In addition to motivational/inspirational writing, she also has published books about the Jung SuWon discipline of martial arts.
- The First Element: Secrets to Maximizing Your Energy (February, 1998) ISBN 978-0965695909
- The Silent Master: Awakening the Power Within (May 1, 1994) ISBN 978-1880032411
- They Call Me Success (Korean)
- Golden Key of the CEO (Chinese version of They Call Me Success)
- Seven Steps to Inner Power (1st printing 1991, 2nd printing-September 30, 2011) ISBN 978-0931432705
References
- ↑ "Achievements & Accomplishments - Dr. Tae Yun Kim". Dr. Tae Yun Kim. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- 1 2 "Tae Yun Kim 1/3 Asian American Wonder Women GoldSea". goldsea.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Jung SuWon". Jung SuWon. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ About Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions
- ↑ "Dr. Tae Yun Kim - Silicon Valley Local Magazine". svlocalmag.com. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
- ↑ "Achievements". Tae Yun Kim homepage. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- 1 2 "Martial Arts Biography - Tae Yun Kim". www.usadojo.com. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
- ↑ "Pioneers Inducted at the Most Prestigious Ceremony in the History of Tae kwon do". www.lacancha.com. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ↑ "SPORTS LEISURE; Kicking the Fear Out of Your Life". The New York Times. 1991-10-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "FRIENDS of the Commission on the Status of Women - 2015 Awardees". www.friendscosw.org. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ↑ "Benefactor Dr. Tae Yun Kim Receives Prestigious Award - KWMF". 2015-10-27. Retrieved 2016-08-11.