Yong In University is known as the oldest and best higher-educational martial arts institution in Korea and the world. Since the establishment of its Martial Arts Research Center in 1982, research has focused on developing a new dynamic system combining combat, self-defense, and health-enhancement techniques and training methodology based on up-to-date scientific findings of human performance, especially through physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, and psychology.
The Martial Arts College of Yong In University formally announced on October 15, 1998, the creation of a new martial arts discipline named yongmudo (hankido-kukmudo). The root of yongmudo is Ho Shin Sul (self-defense techniques), which has been taught since the university was founded in 1953 as an extracurricular activity for those interested. These techniques eventually became very popular in the training for martial arts demonstrations, externally and internally, until a Combative Sports Department was created in 1976 that included yongmudo (hankido), kumdo, and ssirum in its curriculum. A formal movement for the newborn martial arts discipline was enforced by Yong In University alumni, over a thousand who are teaching martial arts all over the world. These Masters and Grandmasters have had a decisive influence on the formation of the Korean Yongmudo Federation as well as the World Yongmudo Federation, which was founded on April 25, 2002.
The newly born Korean martial art of yongmudo is gaining popularity not only in Korea but all over the world, among those seeking a martial arts discipline that combines the modern concept of self-defense and health-enhancement training for the mind, body, and spirit. For further information about yongmudo, contact the Martial Arts Research Center, Yong In University, Korea.
The University of California, Berkeley's Yongmudo club is the oldest and most established program in an academic setting. A part of the UC Martial Arts Program, the program is under the directorship of Yong In alum Dr. Russell Ahn and under the head instructor, Dr. Norman Link. Other schools have been established by Cal Yongmudo alumni at such esteemed academic establishments as Harvard University, the University of California, San Diego, and Temple University.