Mourners offer final bow to the 'Father of American Taekwondo' Jhoon Rhee

VIENNA, Va. (WJLA) — Family, friends, and former students of a local martial arts icon said goodbye Tuesday at a memorial service in Vienna, Virginia. Jhoon Rhee was known as the "Father of American Taekwondo.”

A who's who of martial artists offered their final bow to their grand master who 60 years ago introduced the sport to the United States. Longtime TV viewers in Washington will clearly remember Rhee's "Nobody bothers me" commercials featuring his children Meme and Chun.

“He just loved what he did. It was his passion,” Chun said.

“He lived a big life and this is definitely congruent with that,” added Meme.

Rhee died last week at age 86 after a long illness. During the memorial service, he was remembered by friends, like actor Chuck Norris.

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