"The Real Billy Jack" Bong Soo Han 1933 – 2007
“The Real Billy Jack”
Bong Soo Han, was a martial arts instructor, author, the founder of the International Hapkido Federation, and one of the foremost practitioners of hapkido through his participation in books, magazine articles, and popular films featuring this Korean martial art. He is often referred to as the "Father of Hapkido" in America. Grandmaster Han held the rank of 9th Dan black belt in Hapkido.
Born in On Chun near Seoul, during Japan’s occupation of Korea, and in what is now South Korea, Han was the youngest of five children. He studied the Japanese martial arts kendo and judo. Later he earned a black belt under master Byung In Yoon in an art known as Kwon bup, a mixture of Chinese chuan fa methods and Shotokan karate, which influenced modern taekwondo.
A senior student of Yong Sul Choi, (the founder of Hapkido) Han assisted in promoting the first hapkido school in Seoul. In 1959, Han opened his own hapkido school in the Samgangji section of Seoul. Han became one of the teachers in the influential Korea Hapkido Association and taught people in both the Korean military and the Korean presidential guard.
Hapkido incorporates powerful kicking techniques and fluid throwing. It is based on the water principles of yielding, circular motion, redirection and penetration. Han was impressed by its flowing effortless natural movements.
In 1967, Han emigrated to the United States of America, first staying with and teaching at his friend S. O. Choi's Hapkido school in California. Han later opened his own school in Los Angeles in 1968. On July 4, 1969, Han Bong Soo was giving a demonstration of hapkido at a park in Pacific Palisades, California. In the audience was Tom Laughlin, who later became one of Han’s students. After a spectacular demonstration, Laughlin approached Han about being involved in a movie project called Billy Jack. Han gained critical acclaim for staging and performing some of the most realistic martial arts fight sequences in a film.
In 1974 he had a starring role with Ed Parker the father of American Kenpo Karate in the action film Kill The Golden Goose. Han continued to choreograph fight sequences and bring martial arts to the big screen. In 1977, he played the evil Dr. Klahn in the spoof film, The Kentucky Fried Movie.
In 1974, Han founded the International Hapkido Federation.
Han's legacy is kept alive by the continued efforts of several of his students most notably Eric Friske, Robert Levitt, Rick Scott. The most important thing Han taught his students was to know oneself as a human being, and to seek the perfection of character. He taught them the spiritual and mental dimensions of martial arts. Han held very high standards. In decades of teaching thousands of students, he reportedly promoted only about 100 to black belt.
In giving tribute to Han, longtime friend and author Joe Hyams recalled the samurai maxim … “A man who has attained mastery of his art reveals it in his every action.” Han was the quintessential martial artist--master of his art!
To learn more about the "father of Hapkido" in America, check out his book:
