Origins:

Kang Duk Won emerged from the Central YMCA Kwon Bop Bu, founded by Byung In Yoon, and was established in the mid-1950s by his students, Hong Jong-Pyo and Chul Hee Park.

Byung In Yoon:

A student of Chuan Fa (Chinese boxing) in Manchuria, Yoon also studied at Nihon University in Japan and received rank in Shudokon (a Japanese martial art) from Toyama Kanken. After the Korean War, Yoon became a POW and remained in North Korea until his death.

Chul Hee Park:

Park, another student of Yoon, continued to teach Kwon Bup after Yoon’s disappearance during the Korean War, along with Hong Jong-Pyo, as part of the Changmookwan. 

Kukkiwon & Taekwondo:

Kang Duk Won, along with other “kwans” like Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, and others, contributed to the development of Taekwondo, which later became the national sport of South Korea.

Modern Kang Duk Won:

Today, Kang Duk Won still exists in Korea and is officially known as Taekwondo Kang Duk Won, a social friendship club that supports the Kukkiwon system and the World Taekwondo Federation.