Dr. John A. Johnson, VII Dan, lived in South Korea from 1999 to 2021, where he developed a unique combination of practical Taekwon-Do experience and academic expertise. During his time in Korea, he served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Taekwondo at Keimyung University in Daegu, one of South Korea's leading universities for Taekwondo education. He was one of only a very small number of non-Koreans to hold the title of Taekwon-Do Professor at a Korean university and is recognized for being the only known ITF Taekwon-Do practitioner to have taught at a Kukkiwon-aligned university.
Dr. Johnson earned his PhD in Physical Education from Kyung Hee University, one of the world's most recognized academic institutions for Taekwondo. Following the Korean university tradition of naming a dojang after one's alma mater, he established Kyung Hee Martial Arts in the United States.
His academic research focuses on the intersection of Taekwon-Do international relations, pedagogy, philosophy, history, and education. He has published more than four dozen academic articles on Taekwon-Do in international scholarly journals and has presented his research at conferences throughout Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Portugal, Malaysia, South Korea, and the United States.
In 2015, Dr. Johnson taught courses through the World Taekwondo Federation/Kyung Hee University Partnership Athlete, Coach, and Youth Programs. He is the only known ITF Taekwon-Do practitioner to have taught within these programs, providing a unique bridge between ITF Taekwon-Do and the broader academic Taekwondo community in South Korea.
While serving at Keimyung University, Dr. Johnson taught both academic and practical Taekwon-Do courses to South Korean university students. His courses included Taekwon-Do International Relations, ITF Taekwon-Do Pattern Theory, Taekwon-Do Literature, and Taekwon-Do Practical English, as well as practical ITF Taekwon-Do training.
Dr. Johnson has also taught ITF Taekwon-Do internationally in Thailand, South Korea, Poland, and the United States, and has operated Taekwon-Do schools in both South Korea and the United States.
He is a co-founder and Vice President of the International Center for Academic Taekwondo (iACT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting academic research, scholarship, and education related to Taekwon-Do. Through this organization and his academic work, Dr. Johnson continues to contribute to the preservation, documentation, and scholarly study of Taekwon-Do.
After returning to the United States, Dr. Johnson established Kyung Hee Martial Arts through the Maize Recreation Commission in Maize, Kansas. He currently lives in the Wichita, Kansas area and works as a high school English teacher, while continuing to teach Taekwon-Do and serve on the boards of international academic organizations.
Dr. Johnson's career is distinguished by a rare combination of high-level Taekwon-Do training, Korean university teaching, academic scholarship, international instruction, and cross-cultural experience. His work helps connect traditional Taekwon-Do practice with modern education and academic research, contributing to the continued growth and understanding of Taekwon-Do in the United States and internationally.
Dr. Johnson earned his PhD in Physical Education from Kyung Hee University, one of the world's most recognized academic institutions for Taekwondo. Following the Korean university tradition of naming a dojang after one's alma mater, he established Kyung Hee Martial Arts in the United States.
His academic research focuses on the intersection of Taekwon-Do international relations, pedagogy, philosophy, history, and education. He has published more than four dozen academic articles on Taekwon-Do in international scholarly journals and has presented his research at conferences throughout Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Portugal, Malaysia, South Korea, and the United States.
In 2015, Dr. Johnson taught courses through the World Taekwondo Federation/Kyung Hee University Partnership Athlete, Coach, and Youth Programs. He is the only known ITF Taekwon-Do practitioner to have taught within these programs, providing a unique bridge between ITF Taekwon-Do and the broader academic Taekwondo community in South Korea.
While serving at Keimyung University, Dr. Johnson taught both academic and practical Taekwon-Do courses to South Korean university students. His courses included Taekwon-Do International Relations, ITF Taekwon-Do Pattern Theory, Taekwon-Do Literature, and Taekwon-Do Practical English, as well as practical ITF Taekwon-Do training.
Dr. Johnson has also taught ITF Taekwon-Do internationally in Thailand, South Korea, Poland, and the United States, and has operated Taekwon-Do schools in both South Korea and the United States.
He is a co-founder and Vice President of the International Center for Academic Taekwondo (iACT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting academic research, scholarship, and education related to Taekwon-Do. Through this organization and his academic work, Dr. Johnson continues to contribute to the preservation, documentation, and scholarly study of Taekwon-Do.
After returning to the United States, Dr. Johnson established Kyung Hee Martial Arts through the Maize Recreation Commission in Maize, Kansas. He currently lives in the Wichita, Kansas area and works as a high school English teacher, while continuing to teach Taekwon-Do and serve on the boards of international academic organizations.
Dr. Johnson's career is distinguished by a rare combination of high-level Taekwon-Do training, Korean university teaching, academic scholarship, international instruction, and cross-cultural experience. His work helps connect traditional Taekwon-Do practice with modern education and academic research, contributing to the continued growth and understanding of Taekwon-Do in the United States and internationally.