Message from Grandmaster Jun Kang

Dear Gongkwon Yusul family in Europe,

it is a great honour for me that the Korean martial art Gongkwon Yusul is being received with constantly increasing interest in Europe. Gongkwon Yusul, which was founded in 1996 in South Korea, provides a new philosophy of fighting in contrast to other modern mixed martial arts. It is a part of Korean tradition and virtues to look up to your parents, to put unlimited trust into your friends and to honour your teachers. Naturally, this tradition has been incorporated into the philosophy of Gongkwon Yusul. Consequently, self-defense is not the only fundamental element of this martial art, but personal development and respect towards one's peers play an equally important role. Our martial art Gongkwon Yusul, which fosters this valuable piece of Korean culture, is meeting with international recognition and is constantly expanding.

In these modern times, many martial arts become increasingly dance-like and lose their original meaning, thus turning into a sort of entertaining performance. It is my personal conviction that Gongkwon Yusul will retain its original meaning as a legitimate martial art, and will find a firm footing in Europe. The fact that traditional Korean values have been incorporated into this martial art only contributes to this development.

Gongkwon Yusul is fun! We hear this a lot. The reason is that training Gongkwon Yusul gives you a sense of achievement in controlling your own body, and cultivates your mind at the same time. This is yet another reason why many people show interest in Gongkwon Yusul and want to practise this young martial art. The history of Gongkwon Yusul in Europe has just started. But ten or even a hundred years into the future, our Gongkwon Yusul will be recognised as a traditional martial art. The system of any old and established martial art had to start at some point. They all gained their status through years of instruction and development. In this context, the point where our Gongkwon Yusul crossed the national borders of South Korea can be considered a milestone of the history of martial arts. The international recognition with which Gongkwon Yusul has met is not only based on its philosophy, but also on the experience of training and cultivating one's body and mind simultaneously.

I'd like to offer my best wishes to all family members of Gongkwon Yusul in Europe.

International Gongkwon Yusul Association

President and Founder
Jun Kang