Overview

Illini World Taekwondo is the oldest martial arts club on campus! Formerly known as the Illini Tae Kwon Do Club, it was first established in 1970 by the late Grandmaster Nam Kwon Hyong, when he was studying economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Having been asked earlier by one of his professors to teach the latter’s child Tae Kwon Do, Grandmaster Nam Kwon Hyong decided to set up the Illini Tae Kwon Do Club to teach Tae Kwon Do to the campus.

In 1980, his brother, Grandmaster Namsoo Hyong took over the Illini Tae Kwon Do Club and taught as the lead instructor until he stepped down from the role in 2020. It was also after the summer of 2020 that our club changed our name to “Illini World Taekwondo” to emphasize our focus on the World Taekwondo style.

Now, even as a completely student-led club, we maintain close ties with Grandmaster Hyong’s HMD Academy, as we strive towards preserving Tae Kwon Do as a martial art through the Moo Do philosophy.

Milestones

1970 – Illini Tae Kwon Do Club first established by the late Grandmaster Nam Kwon Hyong
1980 – Grandmaster Namsoo Hyong took over as lead instructor
2013 – Demo team formed
2014 – Sparring team formed
2015 – 2016 – First documented constitution was written
2020 – Name change from “Illini Tae Kwon Do Club” to “Illini World Taekwondo”
2022 – Poomsae team formed
2023 – Joined list of National Collegiate Taekwondo Association Member Schools; first intercollegiate collaboration “Midwest Rumble” with Northwestern University, University of Chicago and University of Illinois at Chicago

Gallery: Through the Years