Chang Gedo (born 1941), is an early Hapkido practitioner and master of the art, who brought his style of this Korean fighting system to the west in 1973.
Chang Gedo lived until his early twenties in a mountain monastery in Chungnam Province, learning hoshinsul (self-defence techniques) from his father a Buddhist monk.
Upon leaving the monastery, Chang Gedo became one of the few men formally recognised as a master of Hapkido (1964) within Ji Han Jae's newly formed association.
He has demonstrated and taught throughout the USA, finally settling in Lombard, Illinois where he opened his first U.S. School, Chang's Hapkido Academy.
His teaching abilities so impressed the Korean Government, that they created a special award for Best Martial Arts Instructor, and presented it to Master Chang.