Many years ago Hwa-Rang was an army of special trained warriors in the Silla kingdom in the old Korea. Two millenniums later on the other side of the globe Hwa-Rang is the name of clubs with special trained taekwondo athletes. In Denmark the bond between the clubs associated with Hwa-Rang were very strong in the seventies and eighties. |
|
The Hwa-Rang clubs |
In the seventies there were a strong bond between the taekwondo clubs in Denmark. People helped each other all over the country. If a club needed help with a demonstration or if someone needed help to start a new club people came to help. Taekwondo athletes were like brothers back then. |
When Choi Kyoung An came to Denmark in 1976 it was natural for some clubs to join him while other clubs continued their collaboration with Shin Boo Young. However, the split between the two groups got bigger over the years because of political power game within Danish taekwondo and the federation. |
|
|
|
|
It resulted in the clubs around Shin Boo Young being called the Hwa-Rang clubs or the clubs associated with Hwa-Rang Ballerup. Because of its history Ballerup was a central point for the clubs in the eastern part of Denmark. But also clubs in Jutland had close relations with Ballerup. It was Chung Un Sønderborg (Allan Paulsen and Gunnar Nielsen) and Midtdjurs (Wandy Nielsen). |
|
The roots of Hwa-Rang in Denmark |
Only few people know the identity of those who lend their name to the Hwa-Rang clubs in Denmark. In some clubs people would say that Shin Boo Young lend his name to Hwa-Rang Denmark. In other clubs the answer would be Tu & Thuy. Actually, it is both parties. |
Ballerup and Midtdjurs as well as clubs emerged from here have got the Hwa-Rang name from Shin Boo Young. His school in Hamburg was named Hwa-Rang in the first place. |
Tåstrup and clubs who emerged from here have got the Hwa-Rang name from the Dang family, i.e. Dang Van Nham and his sons Tu and Thuy. Before they came to Denmark they trained at a school called Hwa-Rang in Vietnam. |
It is a sheer coincidence that the two Hwa-Rang “roots” met like they did. |
|
