Grand Master Chul Koo Yoon
Honorary Chairman

Grand Master Chul Koo Yoon, an 8th Degree Black Belt and Founder & President of the Korea Taekwondo Academy (KTA) which was established in April, 1974, as an educational institution. The Academy has taught thousands of enthusiastic people of all ages throughout Indianapolis and its suburban areas for more than two decades.

KTA was founded by Grand Master Yoon with one main goal in mind: To teach and show the American public the traditional martial art of Taekwondo.

Grand Master Yoon is an 8th Degree Black Belt - certified by the World Taekwondo Federation. He has over 40 years experience in Taekwondo.

Since 1974, Grand Master Yoon has taught and promoted over 3,000 Black Belts and created several outstanding instructors.

As of 1996, Grand Master Yoon is the only instructor in Indiana to create National Champions, U.S. Olympic Festival Champions and an Olympian. He has done this for 15 successive years.

In 1981, Grand Master Yoon and KTA sponsored and directed the historic event “The 1st USTU Official National Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championships” in Indianapolis.

At the 1987 Pan American Games held in Indianapolis, Taekwondo made its debut as an official Pan Am sport. Grand Master Yoon was the technical director for Taekwondo, and the venue was so successful that it sold out before any other sport in the Games!

Since 1990 Grand Master Yoon has lectured and conducted seminars across the country. He developed the USA Spirit Line of Martial Arts products to ensure the continued success of the art by accommodating the participants with quality protective gear, uniforms and accessories.

Taekwondo grandmaster Chul Koo Yoon, founder of Korea Taekwondo Academy in Castleton, received a plaque marking his contributions to the sport around the world.

Yoon, who trained Indiana's only taekwondo Olympian and was the sport's organizational director at the 1987 Pan-Am Games in Indianapolis, received the award from KTA master instructor Garth Cooley, a world sparring medalist and former two-time national team member.

Yoon, a native of South Korea who is retired and now lives in the San Diego area, and Cooley, his former student, have promoted 3,000 taekwondo black belts since KTA opened 35 years ago this month.

The April 18-19 IndyCup tournament - which included board breaking, forms and sparring - drew more than 350 competitors from about a dozen states.

--- Scott Thien