Roy D. Kurban is a 10th degree American Taekwondo martial arts grandmaster and former Karate national competitor.

Roy Kurban began martial arts training in 1965, studying Karate under Allen Steen, Larry Caster, Skipper Mullins, Jerry Wiseman, Phillip Ola, and Dennis Dorris.

As a member of the United States 8th Army in stationed in Seoul, Korea in 1970, he trained for a full year under Won Chik Park.

During the 1970s, he was a formidable competitor,[3][4] winning 127 national and international competitions, including 80 first-place trophies and grand championships.

[citation needed] It was during this time that he introduced Jin-Song Chung to the United States, a former champion competitor and instructor whom he had met in South Korea during his Army enlistment.