World Kido Federation Leaders

Grand Master Scott Sung Yeel Seo, born in Busan, South Korea, in 1972, is the eldest son of Grand Master In Sun Seo. He began his martial arts training at age five at his father’s dojang and quickly advanced, joining the children’s demonstration team by 1977 and touring Korea for numerous martial arts demonstrations. In addition to demonstrations, Grand Master Scott competed in numerous Hapkido national tournaments in the 1980s, winning several first-place awards in sparring competitions and martial arts tournaments.

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Having trained directly under his father and alongside other senior masters, Grand-Master Scott possesses deep technical and instructional expertise. In his leadership role as President of Hanminjok Hapkido Association, he oversees more than 300 member schools across Korea.  In this capacity, he conducts World & National Hapkido Championships, Master and Instructor Certification Programs, Referee and Leadership Seminars and Technical Hapkido Seminars across South Korea.  He also created the Deep Water/Gi Pun Mool initiative to ensure we recognize and preserve the core Hapkido techniques and concepts and ensure the deep and nuanced understanding of our art.  In addition, he created the Preservation Society/Won Hyung Boh Jon Hwae as a way to formally preserve our art and honor the legacy and impact of historic and influential figures such as Grand Master In Sun Seo.

Grand Master Scott has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley and also has extensive experiences envisioning, planning and executing large scale events for traditional Korean Martial Arts but also through Neofight Co., LTD, the company he founded and leads as CEO, he has extensive experience conducting Mixed Martial Arts and integrated multi-discipline events. 

Grand Master Steve Sung Kwon Seo, born in Busan, South Korea, in 1977, is the youngest son of Grand-Master In Sun Seo. With over 45 years of training, he has been guided by his father, elder brother Grand Master Scott Seo, and other world-renowned martial arts masters since the age of five.

As President of the World Kido Federation, he travels globally to conduct in-person and virtual seminars, spearheading the organization's digital strategy and overall growth. An expert in traditional Korean martial arts, he employs a thoughtful teaching approach tailored to diverse age groups, student demographics, and cultural nuances. His efforts have driven the federation's global expansion to over 100 schools across 5 continents and a presence in over 20 countries.

Prior to his presidency, Grandmaster Steve was a Partner at a management consulting firm, bringing over 25 years of experience in solving business problems for clients, including Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Salesforce, and Cisco Systems. His vast experience in strategy, operations, and technology implementations informs his leadership style and approach to leading a large scale, global martial arts organization.

Grand Master Steve also initiated and successfully executed five biennial World Kido Federation Member Summit events in the San Francisco Bay Area, establishing one of the world's largest Korean martial arts conferences.

For inquiries regarding the World Kido Federation or Hanminjok Hapkido Association, he can be contacted via Facebook and Instagram.