Interview with Master Hun

Birthdate: September 12, 1970.

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea.

What was your first martial art? Aikido, under Sensei Wemberly, Aikido of Staten Island.

When did you begin training? 1988

Why did you start training? Was it for health, self-defense, fun, or was it a family tradition? For self-defense, health and fun. Not a family tradition.

When did you get interested in chanbara? I've always had a love for all forms of sword arts. Highlander, Jedi Knights, Kung Fu warriors, Ninja, Samurai sword-fighting. Swashbuckling, fencing, Kendo, Iaido, Kenjutsu. But Chanbara in 2002.

When most people think of japanese sword-fighting, they think of kendo. Given that there is already a way to practice full-contact sword arts, what advantage does chanbara offer? What attracted you to chanbara over kendo? Kendo requires one to wear a very heavy and cumbersome set of protective gear. And it can get very hot inside all that armor. It's hot, restrictive, and a big turn off for me. But, with the U.S. Chanbara Federation's foam-padded swords, I don't have to wear any protective gear. I can move at full-speed and hit full-contact without the risk of injury to myself or to my opponent. Also, Kendo tends to be rigid. Chanbara and the style that I teach is more fluid. I teach students to cut through, to follow through with the cut or thrust. Kendo-ka tend to hit for a score.

When did you begin teaching chanbara? In 2002.

You have been very successful in attracting attention from the mainstream media. You've been featured on NY1, NY Daily News, even CNN! How do you do it? Luck & good timing. I try to connect my sword-fighting with health & fitness and with any movie that has sword-fighting in it. Kill Bill, The Last Samurai, and Jet Li's new movie Hero (whenever the heck it's released).

What is the guiding principle of your practice? Keep it real. All that I teach, technical, mental, spiritual, should work in a real fight and in life. If it doesn't work, what good is it.

You are a deacon at a church in Queens. What role, if any, does religion play in your martial arts practice? As a deacon, my role is to serve, to help the members of my church. And, as a teacher, my role is to teach, to help my students be all that they can be. To serve, to help others is my way of glorifying God and his plan for me.

Where were you on September 11, 2001? I was helping my parents at their small business. Oddly, my old clunker, an Oldsmobile, died in mid-trip as I was trying to get back to my home on Staten Island, on 9/11.

Did the impact of that day change your outlook on martial arts--or the city of New York? 9/11 taught me that danger is everywhere. But I controled my fear & stress. Which is what martial arts training is designed for. My martial arts training helped me to live in the face of constant terrorist threats as a New Yorker. Without being depressed or stressed out by 9/11.

What is your favorite food? Hot peppers. I'm addicted to it. I carry it with me to spice up ordinary meals.

What are some of your favorite non-martial arts related things to do? Computers, Internet, science fiction literature, foreign languages & sushi.

What do you like most about New York City? What do you like least? The most is, of course, the wealth of martial arts schools, teachers, & students in NYC. The least is NYC's transportation and transit delays & problems.