GM KIM Se-Hyuk

About GM KIM Se-Hyuk

Taekwondo Master’ Kim Se-hyeok (56) resigned from his position as the manager of the Samsung S1 Taekwondo team in December of last year. It has already been 35 years since I was active as an undefeated mythical Taekwondo player. 14 years as a coach at Dongseong High School, and 15 years as a coach at Samsung S1, a famous Taekwondo family in the country of origin. Only director Kim Se-hyuk cried and laughed with Taekwondo.

On January 10, director Kim Se-hyuk visited the headquarters. It was an invitation to hear the story of director Kim, who ended the third act of Taekwondo life. Coincidentally, he was not in good health because of a cold that day. But his face looked comfortable.

The ‘power interview’ started, where you can naturally get to know the ‘master Kim Se-hyuk’ in depth while drinking hot coffee. He answered every question without hesitation. He gave honest answers to even the most sensitive questions. The emotional side different from the usual image was also glimpsed for a moment.

I turned the clock back a long way. He was kicked by his friend’s older brother, and he started Taekwondo with the intention of revenge. He started his professional career at Gwangseong Middle School in Seoul. At that time, uniforms cost only 30 won. After attending Gwangseong High School, he transferred to Cheonho Commercial High School. He had a prosperous career as a player to record an undefeated myth.

After graduating from Dong-A University in Busan, he was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1982 and worked for 14 years as a physical education teacher and Taekwondo coach (1982-1995) at Dongseong High School. At this time, it is no exaggeration to say that he became a ‘quasi-master’. Dongseong High School has established the best Taekwondo prestigious high school in the country. In particular, he set a phenomenal record of producing 18 high school students from the national team.

However, the brakes began to be applied during the triumphant triumph. It ran into unexpected difficulties. At that time, the conflict with the officials of the Korea Taekwondo Association caused the players of the team to be judged unreasonably. There was pressure from inside and outside to resign. Eventually, in 1995, I broke up with Dongseong High School. In an instant, the famous ‘director’ became unemployed.

I was preparing to go to America again. Then, I saw an article in a daily newspaper that said ‘Samsung Group will take over as president of the Korea Taekwondo Association’. As one of the promises, the establishment of a Taekwondo business team within the Samsung Group caught my eye. Along the way, I went to the Korea Taekwondo Association and started looking for information about the appointment of coaches. Did I say don’t be a newcomer to human affairs? He was selected as the first director of the Samsung C&T Taekwondo team through an open recruitment process.

While coaching at Samsung, Kim has produced five Olympic gold medalists in three Olympics: Kim Kyung-hoon, Lee Seon-hee (Sydney), Moon Dae-sung, Jang Ji-won (Athens), and Son Tae-jin (Beijing). In addition, he has produced countless national representatives in large and small international competitions such as the World Taekwondo Championships and the Asian Games. As a result, for the first time as a Taekwondo leader, he received the honor of receiving the highest medal of athletics, the Blue Dragon.

Director Kim Se-hyuk had a lot of ties to the Olympics. He was first appointed as a coach when Taekwondo was adopted as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympics as a coach at Dongseong High School. At that time, Jung Kook-hyun and Dongseong High School student Kwon Tae-ho were made gold medalists. After becoming an official event, he won all five of his team’s athletes at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics.

The most memorable athlete at the Olympics was Son Tae-jin. They recruited athletes who had just graduated from high school and made them into the national team for the Olympics. In the process, many incidents such as the ‘dual identity’ problem, ‘galbi scandal’, and ‘refusal to speak’ arose. It was a difficult time mentally for both of them. In the Olympic final, Son Tae-jin said that he will never forget the moment he received his operational instructions with three seconds left and secured the gold medal with that technique.

An anecdote about Dae-Sung Moon was also introduced. It is a fact that everyone knows that Moon Dae-sung KO’d him with a back-and-forth kick in the final of the Athens Olympics. This technique was the main specialty of director Kim Se-hyuk. Is that why? In some circles, there was a theory that Moon Dae-seong tried the technique after receiving an order from director Kim Se-hyuk. In response, coach Kim Se-hyuk said, “I predicted that it would be difficult to win without a KO because of home territoriality. So, when the opponent walks in with a dolphin kick, we devised a strategy to end it by counterattacking in place. But Daesung ended up with a back-and-forth kick (laughs),” said an episode about the Olympics.

He has hundreds of disciples. Who is the most memorable player among them? As a high school student, Tae-ho Kwon, who was selected for the national team as a high school student at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and even won a gold medal, was selected.

Samsung selected Lee Seon-hee, a gold medalist at the Athens Olympics. There are many other players, and there is a reason I named him. “After the Olympics, Seon-hee pulled out a mid-size car and even wore makeup. The grades weren’t good either. A few warnings were given, but it was still there. Around 2002, during the competition, we had a big argument for over two hours in a hotel. Both cried. Seonhee finally understood my deep meaning and said that she would make up her mind. The following year, at the World Championships in Germany, Seon-hee washed up her slump and became the world champion again. It felt very good to be able to retire with honor,” he recalled at the time.

What is the master’s guiding philosophy? I pricked up my ears to see if something special would come out. The answer that came back was ‘real effort never betrays’. “Even a little harder than others led to good results” His philosophy is the truth that everyone knows. However, director Kim achieved good results by putting what everyone knew into ‘execution’.

There was talk of longevity. The type of leader is often compared to a longevity. It is usually divided into Jijang, appendix, Yongjang, and Deokjang. Director Kim Se-hyuk said, “It can be a chief, a chief, or a brave. However, the director is not good.” He said, “To me, the stadium is like a battlefield. They just run to achieve their goals. So, I taught them strongly by writing them in hexagrams. I’ve never been in a game comfortably,” he said.

The modifier of taekwondo master was not just obtained. It was recognized by a third party who had observed the leader’s performance for over 30 years. Director Kim Se-hyuk is more meticulous than he looks. close to perfectionism. Even if there are coaches and trainers, he has a personality that can only be solved by checking it with his own eyes. So, I lived in a dormitory just like the players. Of course, he didn’t care about the family. After becoming ‘Samsung Man’, they spent 14 years as a weekend couple. I have never been to a typical ‘family trip’.

It has been over two hours since I interviewed director Kim. Even if the Taekwondo story pack was unpacked, there was no sign of the end. It was an atmosphere that could have leaked me. I slowly started cleaning up. I asked my future dreams. Although he put down his baton, his strong passion for Taekwondo still did not cool. The third act of Taekwondo life had come down, but I was preparing for the fourth act.

“As a leader for 30 years, I have gained a lot of experience and achieved results. I have learned a lot through Taekwondo. Now is the time to give as much as I have received.” “I plan to make a manual by documenting everything I have. My teaching theory cannot be the answer, but I hope it will be a guide for many juniors

He said that he has gained so much through Taekwondo that he is now doing volunteer work through sharing.