It was founded in 1958 by Suh In-Hyuk (서인혁), who also carries the formal titles of Kuk Sa Nim (i.e. "national martial arts teacher") and Grandmaster.

[1] This Korean martial art is known for its comprehensive collection of combat techniques, in particular, it teaches an extensive set of offensive and defensive moves designed to take advantage of the human body's many pressure points.

[2] Kuk Sool Won is practiced in various countries, with its biggest bases other than the South Korea and the United States being Western Europe (Germany, France, Italy and Spain) and Iran.

After the death of his grandfather during the Korean War, Suh In-Hyuk travelled throughout the Far East visiting various Buddhist monasteries and other esteemed martial arts masters, as research for developing his own system.

[13] A more simplistic way to describe the contents of Kuk Sool Won would be to acknowledge that it is a successful combination or conglomeration of Hapkido (a derivative of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu), Kung Fu (particularly Mantis style, although whether from the Southern or Northern variety isn't clear), and certain indigenous Korean martial arts (such as Taekkyeon).

Note that combining disparate martial skills often yields inconsistencies that are difficult to overcome, yet this is not the case for the resulting foundation of elements found in the art of Kuk Sool.

The fighting style is brutal and quick to damage joints beyond repair; practitioners are taught early to only use the arts in controlled settings or in true self defense.

[16] For special occasions, there is a dress uniform for Black Belt ranks only, which was patterned after the armor worn by ancient Korean generals (which is not too dissimilar from Japanese armour).