MILWAUKEE — Taekwondo's rich history dates back to ancient Korea. Its international influence has expanded significantly.
Grandmaster JK Lee immigrated to Milwaukee from South Korea in 1975 and has been teaching martial arts for decades.
“I want to teach taekwondo in America,'' Lee recalls. “A friend of mine lived here. He invited me and I moved here. Milwaukee, I love Milwaukee.”
Lee opened his first school in 1976 at 36 North Avenue. Forty-eight years later, he has five locations in southeastern Wisconsin.
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“We love each other. We never argue and we never shoot. I want to teach my people love and help them be healthy,” Lee said.
Taekwondo is rooted not only in learning self-defense techniques, but also in teaching values such as self-control and perseverance.
Lee, who is currently a 9th degree black belt, has been learning taekwondo since he was a child and has passed on everything he knows to his children.
Christine Lee helps run her family's business and has been training in Taekwondo since she was five years old. She grew up in Milwaukee and is happy to see people understand her culture better.
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“I love this city. This is where I was born and went to school in Butler, Wisconsin. I was the only Asian and at that time in the early '80s, I had no idea what Korea was. There were people who didn't have it or didn't know about it,'' Christine recalled. “Now, the goal is to help them understand Korean culture, what Taekwondo is, and K-Pop.”
Christine's younger brother Chan, a 6th degree black belt, has been teaching for the past 30 years and is proud of what his students have achieved.
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“One of our black belts has brought the AAPI Month curriculum and information to our state: Rayan Gorman,” Chan boasted. “And he did a great job. This was his black belt project to make our community a little bit better.”
Together, the Lee family has taught generations to become the best version of themselves and that success in martial arts is a journey, not a destination.
“To see the diversity of cultures and ideas and to see Milwaukee grow with the times,” Chan said. “That's really great, and that's what makes this city and state great.”
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