Hapkido CKA
Cheong Kyum Association
청겸인 · Clear Spirit · Modest Mind
An international traditional Hapkido organization dedicated to preserving and spreading the authentic Korean martial art, under the lineage of the Cheong Kyum Kwan and affiliated with the Cheong Kyum Hapkido World Federation (CKWF).
Traditional technique for a new generation
What is Hapkido?
Hapkido is a traditional Korean martial art defined by its joint locks, throws, kicks, strikes, controls, weapon techniques, and attacks to vital points — and above all by its way of redirecting an opponent's force rather than meeting it head-on.
Hap
Union · Coordination
Ki
Energy · Life force
Do
Way · Method · Art
Hapkido translates as "the way of coordinated power."
The water does not argue with the rock
The beginner opposes force with force, tenses, and tires. The Hapkido practitioner learns something deeper and harder: not to block force, but to receive it, accompany it, turn it, and return it. The water does not argue with the rock — it flows around it, and in time it wins. That single idea is the heart of how CKA sees the art, on the mat and beyond it.
Who we are
Cheong Kyum Association
Cheong Kyum Association (CKA) is dedicated to promoting and spreading traditional Hapkido nationally and internationally, welcoming everyone interested in training in this martial art.
Beyond the study and diffusion of traditional Hapkido, CKA pursues sporting, cultural, and recreational aims through mutual aid among its members — a community built on a shared standard of technique and character.
CKA is affiliated with the Cheong Kyum Hapkido World Federation (CKWF), the World Federation of Hapkido of the Clear Spirit and Modest Mind. Member schools, masters, instructors, and students are officially recognized and their ranks certified under this international body.
Honor
To be the same person inside and outside the dojang. Technique without character is only violence with method.
Respect
For your master, your training partners, your opponent, and the knowledge you receive and pass on.
Focus
To hold your attention when everything around you invites distraction — the discipline that turns practice into mastery.
Our story
The history of CKA
From a single school in Seoul to an international federation — five decades of preserving and unifying traditional Hapkido.
- 1975Seoul, Korea
The Cheong Kyum Kwan is founded
Grand Master Lee Seung-Woo founds a school (Kwan) called Cheong Kyum Kwan — 'clear spirit and modest mind' — and begins spreading the philosophy and techniques of traditional Hapkido through exhibition and instruction.
- 2003Ocala, USA
Master William Rayo joins the Kwan
Grand Master Choi Suk-Hwan, appointed by Founder Lee, holds a Hapkido seminar sponsored by the Korea Hapkido Federation (KHF). There, Master William Rayo makes contact with the association and joins the Cheong Kyum Kwan.
- 2004Latin America
Hapkido reaches Latin America
In November 2004, Master William Rayo begins spreading traditional Hapkido in Colombia, soon followed by schools in Argentina and Ecuador. The art takes root across the region.
- 2007International
The Cheong Kyum Association is born
As the organization grows, it transforms from a single school into an internationally recognized association: Cheong Kyum Association (CKA).
- 2013Worldwide
The CKWF is created
To develop and unify Hapkido internationally, and to welcome masters from other Kwans, the Cheong Kyum Hapkido World Federation (CKWF) is established.
- TodaySeoul · Bogotá · the world
An international family
The central office stands in Seoul, South Korea, under Director General Grand Master Choi Suk-Hwan; the International Affairs Office in Bogotá, Colombia, is led by Chief Master William Rayo. Affiliated schools and certified black belts carry the program across continents.
From master to student
Our lineage
Hapkido is not trained alone. Every CKA member belongs to a living lineage — what we receive, we are bound to pass on intact, and a little more alive.
GM Lee Seung-Woo
Founder · Cheong Kyum Kwan & CKWF
Founder of the Cheong Kyum Kwan in 1975 and the source of the Cheong Kyum lineage — the clear spirit and modest mind that names everything that follows.
GM Choi Suk-Hwan
Grand Master · Director General, Seoul
Appointed by Founder Lee, Grand Master Choi leads the organization's central office in Seoul, South Korea, and stands as the technical and spiritual head of the association worldwide.
Chief Master William Rayo
Director · International Affairs, Bogotá
The master who brought traditional Hapkido to Latin America in 2004. From the International Affairs Office in Bogotá, he directs CKA's growth across the Americas and beyond.
Representing Masters
CKA schools worldwide
Certified masters and instructors carry the program in each affiliated country — among them Master Joe Phillips, Sabeomnim of the Cheong Kyum Kwan in Costa Rica — teaching one shared standard of technique and character.
Symbol & meaning
The CKA emblem
Every line of the emblem carries a principle of Hapkido — the geometry of movement and the character of the practitioner.
Octagon
The eight signs of divination represent the universe and nature — the absorption and balance of energy upon making contact.
Won (윈) · the circle
The principle of circular motion and centrifugal force — the first of Hapkido's dynamic principles.
Bang (박) · the square
The principle of the square and centripetal force — used to break an opponent's balance in attack or defense.
Kak (각) · the triangle
The principle of the triangle — the point of attack and the concentration of power in its direction.
Hwa (화) · harmony
The principle of harmony — the union of the circle and the flow of Ki energy with an opponent.
Cheong (청)
Clear Spirit — the clarity of mind every member of Hapkido CKA strives to embody.
Kyum (겸)
Modest Mind — the humility every member of Hapkido CKA strives to embody.
Hwoe (회)
Organization — founded upon clear spirit and modest mind: the association you are joining.
Spirit of the school
Our values & creed
Cheong Kyum Enn — the CKA motto
청 겸인 : 맑은 정신과 겸손한 마음을 갖는 사람이되자
Cheong Kyum Enn — Malkun CheongShin Kwa Kyeom Son Han Ma Um Ul Kat Neun Saram Ee Twae Ja
Let us constantly strive to be modest and clear in spirit, as members of Cheong Kyum.
Hapkido CKA Oath
I swear that I will learn Hapkido to develop full awareness; I will never use what I have learned unless it is strictly necessary. I will respect the symbols of my country, the symbols of my school, my Master, my Instructors, and my fellow students, so that I may arrive with empty hands.
Student Creed
I will develop myself in the best way possible, maintaining a positive mental attitude grounded in discipline, loyalty, honor, and respect.
Master and Instructor Creed
I will share my knowledge no matter how I feel. As I tie my belt, my mindset must shift — and I will teach every class as if it were the most important of my life, an inspiration to the next generation.
Treatise
When you have mastered your mind, your body, and your spirit, you will be the most powerful weapon in human nature. But when you learn to lay that weapon down, you will have learned something far deeper.
The CKA program
Training levels
A complete, standardized program carried by every affiliated school — from the first class to the master's certification.
Standard Formation
The foundation: stances, falls, basic locks, kicks, and the principles of redirecting force. Open to students from childhood onward.
Intermediate & Advanced
Deeper technique — throws, joint control, vital-point work, and weapon techniques — building real, applicable self-defense.
Professional Program
For instructors and masters: the path of teaching, certification, and carrying the lineage to the next generation.
Hapki Kids
Traditional Hapkido for children — building discipline, confidence, focus, and respect through the body.
Women's Self-Defense
Practical, focused self-defense rooted in CKA technique — awareness, control, and real-world response.
Hwal Beop
The traditional art of revival and body care, including spinal care — restoration as the counterpart to combat.
Class schedules, plans, and pricing are set by each affiliated school in its own country. Contact us and we will connect you with the CKA school nearest you.
A worldwide family
CKA around the world
From its central office in Seoul to affiliated schools across the Americas, CKA recognizes and certifies its members under one international standard.
Get in touch
Join CKA
Want to train, affiliate your school, or find the CKA dojang nearest you? Send us a message and we will get back to you.