In April 2018, Grand Master Ju Ung Seo was awarded the 8th dan in Hapkido. Master Ju began practicing Hapkido at the age of seven and has dedicated his life to martial arts, always with great honor and discipline.
Grand Master Ju is responsible for the ChungCheong Buk Do region at the Korea Hapkido Federation, as well as the official instructor of the Jecheon police. Master Ju started to teach internationally in the early 2000s in order to introduce Hapkido and Taekgyeon abroad. Every year, a growing number of people follow his teachings and pupils invite him to give seminars in many countries such as France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Bulgaria, Greece, Kingdom of Bahrain, Turkey, Malaysia, Morocco, Ghana, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Angelo, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Australia, Brazil.
In regards to his 8th dan test, master Ju has said:
"I have been teaching Hapkido to many people, not only Koreans but also many foreigners from all around the world and I also obtained a Master in Physical Education at the university after writing a thesis about Hapkido. I wouldn’t be where I am today without those efforts. I always think as an Hapkido Master, always try to find and teach real Hapkido techniques and spirit to my students. This Dan means a lot to me because It gives me time to look back at the past and it reflects my hapkido life. I will always study hard for my students to give them the best of this beautiful martial arts i dedicated my life to. And so i will keep showing everyone that this diploma has a true meaning and is not just a piece of paper handled because of money, politics or arrangements. Any black belt diploma or other certificate is just ink on a paper if its not preceded by real work and lots of efforts on the techniques and the spirit required for getting it."
We would like to congratulate GM Ju on his promotion!