y. i. kong was born in 1943 in korea. he began training in the martial arts as a child in 1952, starting with shotokan karate. from 1963 to 1967, kong served in the south korean army, attaining the rank of sergeant. he participated in several demonstration tours across the world. following a career in the south korean military, kong emigrated to the united states of america just before or in 1968. he and his younger brother, young bo kong, founded the young brothers taekwondo associates in 1968. kong was promoted to the rank of 9th "dan" in 1997 by h. h. choi in poland. he is based in las vegas.