Grandmaster Hwang In Shik

Hwang In Shik was born in the city of Sunch'ŏn, located just north of the North Korean capital, Pyonyang.

He began to learn Hapkido when he was only 13 years old. His teacher was Choi Yong Sul, who was declared a national human treasure by the Korean government for his exceptional ability in the martial arts.

Choi Yong Sool performing a technique

At 18 years old, two years after he received his black belt, Hwang In Shik began to thoroughly research the techniques and concepts of Hapkido, in order to evaluate their effectiveness in real situations. He began to explore the field of Oriental medicine and concepts in ancient martial arts to achieve a more comprehensive understanding.

Hwang In Shik now serves as Supervisor of Research, mediating disagreements over techniques between senior level students for the first Hapkido association formed in Korea. He is a 10th dan black belt in Hapkido.

Hwang In Shik has starred in a number of films which helped him gain recognition as a martial artist. Unfortunately, these films were popularly known as “kung fu”movies, in which the Hapkido techniques he performed were considered “kung fu”.

As fight choreographer for the Golden Harvest Film Company, he was influential in developing numerous filmography techniques as they related to fighting and had an influence on many popular martial arts stars of that era.

Grandmaster Hwang In Shik is recognized as one of the most prominent figures in Hapkido today.