The Overseas Koreans Agency said Thursday that late taekwondo master Rhee Jhoon-goo has been named overseas Korean of the month in recognition of his role in globalizing taekwondo and advancing Korea-U.S. sports diplomacy. Rhee, widely regarded as the person who first established taekwondo in the U.S., helped elevate the martial art beyond self-defense into a tool for cultural exchange, diplomacy and international sports engagement. Born in 1932 in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Rhee was first introduced to taekwondo at age 16 through the Chung Do Kwan, one of Korea's oldest martial arts schools. While studying civil engineering at Texas State University in 1957, he founded a taekwondo club and began teaching U.S. students. He established more than 60 taekwondo studios across the country, helping transform the discipline into a popular mainstream sport in the U.S. He also played a key role in expanding taekwondo in the former Soviet Union, where martial arts were illegal at the time. Rhee traveled there to persuade senior officials to legalize the practice, organizing seminars and hel