May 20th, 1938 – December 16th, 2016
For over 60 years, Grandmaster Moo Yong Lee has been well-known and highly respected in the Taekwondo community. His lineage is from the Moo Duk Kwan dojang (school), and he began teaching in the Unites States in December 1972.
Grandmaster Lee was promoted to 9th Dan Black Belt (#1000042) on February 7th, 1990 and was the second 9th Dan in the United States.
On May 7, 2013 Grandmaster Lee was awarded the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Lifetime Achievement Award in Washington, DC. This prestigious award honors those who have greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of physical activity, fitness, sports, or nutrition nationwide.
On April 30, 2016 Grandmaster Moo Yong Lee was inducted into the USA Grandmasters Society Hall of Fame and was recognized as an Outstanding Leader. And on February 21, 2017 Grand Master Moo Yong Lee was posthumously promoted to 10th Dan by the Kukkiwon.
Grandmaster Lee established two of the largest running Taekwondo schools in the United States: United Tae Kwon Do in Lawrence, MA, in 1972 (which later became United Tae Kwon Do in Pelham, NH) and United Tae Kwon Do in East Hartford, CT in 1974.
A natural leader through his own example of total commitment and hard work, Grandmaster Lee – or simply “Mr. Lee” to his long-time students – humbly considered himself to be a student of his beloved art and continued to teach with kindness until his passing. Over the course of his career, he trained and certified more than five hundred and fifty Black Belts, and it is a tribute to the effectiveness of his instruction that a great many of his students, now Masters and Grandmasters themselves, continued to train and learn with him for as long as they were able to.
Internationally, Grandmaster Lee was instrumental in proposing that headgear be worn and in establishing World Cup Taekwondo during the World Taekwondo Federation 7th General Assembly Meeting in 1985. At the Olympic level, Grandmaster Lee served as President of the USTU and helped transition Taekwondo from a demonstration sport to an official Olympic medal sport. During his tenure as President, female athletes were able to compete for the first time during the United States Olympic Festival.
If you knew Grandmaster Lee, you might like to leave a tribute.