About Us
Pioneers of Taekwondo
Choi’s Taekwondo has a long history and tradition. In 1968 Grand Master Dan Choi, along with several other instructors, came to California from Korea to introduce the then unknown martial art of Taekwondo to the United States. Master Dan Choi became one of the first people to teach Taekwondo in the Bay Area. In 1971 Grand Master Dan Choi opened Santa Clara Valley’s first Taekwondo studio, Choi’s Institute of Taekwondo. Over the years, Choi’s Taekwondo has produced many excellent Black Belts, some of whom have become national and World Cup Champions. Instructors at many Taekwondo or martial arts schools in the Bay Area got their start under Grand Master Dan Choi or Grand Master Hyun Choi (Grand Master Dan Choi’s younger brother). For example, Ernie Reyes (Senior) and Tony Thompson, who were among Grand Master Dan Choi’s first black belts, went on to found West Coast Karate.
Grand Master Yong Soon Choi
Grand Master Yong Soon Choi, Director of the Choi’s Tae Kwon Do in Scotts Valley, is one of the highest-ranking black belts under Grand Master Hyun K. Choi. Grand Master Yong Soon Choi is a 7th Degree black belt with over 40 years of teaching experience. She is also the president of the California Unified Taekwondo Association. She is the first female Grand Master to run a major official Taekwondo organization in the world under World Taekwondo. Over the past two decades, Grand Master Yong Soon Choi has received much recognition nationally and internationally for her efforts in promoting and developing Taekwondo as a world sport, and for her dedication to preserving the traditional teachings of Taekwondo.