k. j. choi was born on 2 march 1942, in daegu, korea. his martial art training began when he was still a child, learning kwon bup. choi served in the south korean military and came into contact with h. h. choi there. around 1966–1967, he taught taekwondo in hong kong, indonesia, malaysia, and singapore. choi moved to the united states of america in 1970 to seek medical treatment for injuries sustained from martial arts training. in 1987, he founded his own martial art system and organisation, choi kwang-do. he is based in atlanta. choi holds the rank of 9th "dan" in his own martial art, choi kwang-do.