From South Korea to South Reno: How Elite Taekwondo Owner Taeyeob Kim Made his Move

In August 2018, Taekwondo master instructor Teoyeob Kim (above) opened his very own school, Elite Taekwondo, in South Reno after being inspired to share his culture abroad and earning his Bachelor’s degree from South Korea’s most prestigious Taekwondo program. Photo by Tanner Barrett

As class time approaches, parents take their seats in front of the mat to watch their children begin class. Colored belts hang on the wall below an "Elite Taekwondo" sign when the clock strikes 5:30 and Teoyeob Kim starts running through excersies with his students.

Elite Taekwondo owner and master instructor Teoyeob Kim opened his taekwondo school last August after over 20 years of mastering and teaching the sport in South Korea and various US cities.

Taekwondo is the Korean martial art known for its unique focus on hand and foot self defense techniques, and Kim earned his Bachelor's degree for it at Kyung Hee University in South Korea in 2006. His coursework included child psychology, refereeing, technicalities of the sport, and how to run a Taekwondo school, but Kim’s interest in owning a school in America sparked back in high school thanks to a foreign language teacher.

“I got the idea that it would be nice to be like this teacher and go abroad and teach something from my country to others,” he said.

Kim has earned his sixth degree black belt in Taekwondo, and his second degree black belt in another Korean martial art: hapkido. Photo by Tanner Barrett

While he taught in his own schools in South Korea, Kim always knew he eventually wanted to open one somewhere in America, and has already taught in some schools in Virginia and California

“I figured there were more opportunities for the children here and not as much of a stressful educational environment,” he said.

At Elite Taekwondo and across the US and Korea, the majority of students are younger children that the sport helps teach not only how to be active, but values to incorporate into everyday life as well.

“We teach values like courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and not giving up,” said Cyndie Kim, Kim’s wife and co master instructor at Elite Taekwondo.

Cyndie met Kim in 2012 through a mutual friend while studying abroad in South Korea, and together they share more than 40 years of taekwondo experience between them.

Kim in the middle of an exercise with a student. Photo by Tanner Barrett

For Cyndie, the values taught in taekwondo combined with the physical activity of the sport are why she has always been drawn to it, and Kim remembers first learning in his early days of training and applying them in the real world as his favorite part about it growing up. As a teacher, Kim’s favorite aspect comes from the changes he sees in his students overtime.

Kim addressing one of his classes in between exercises. Photo by Tanner Barrett

“When I see kids that were being bullied and they get self confidence and they don’t get bullied anymore, or kids that couldn’t focus and now through Taekwon-Do they have more focus so when I see those little bits of growth, that’s the most rewarding and my favorite aspects about teaching it,” he said.

Why Reno?

Outside of Elite Taekwondo on 465 S Meadows Pkwy #12, Reno, NV 89521. For more information about Taeyeob, Cyndie, and Elite Taekwondo, visit their website and Facebook page. Photo by Tanner Barrett

Though Kim always knew he wanted to open a school in America, exactly where was never really decided until the time came. When it was time to set a plan and make a decision, Cyndie and Kim both agreed on Reno as the perfect "mid range and growing" city they were looking for.

The business has contributed to Reno's bustling growth in recent years, and serves as a modern example of what is still possible for people from across the world to achieve in the U.S.