Reaching the Pinnacle
WEXFORD — Robert Zang earned his first black belt in taekwondo in 1985. At the time, the Butler native was in elementary school and a 9th degree black belt, the highest honor in the discipline, was the furthest thing from his mind.
Now, 37 years later, he has earned such recognition.
“It seems so far away when you’re training,” said Zang, now a resident of Wexford. “There are just two or three Korean-born Grand Masters in the Pittsburgh area.”
Very select company, but making the accomplishment even more significant for Zang was the person who promoted him to such a high status.
Grand Master Jong Soo Park, the most widely-known taekwondo artist in the world, did so shortly before his death at the age of 80 in November.
“Nine days before he passed, he recommended that I receive this honor,” said Zang, who now teaches taekwondo to hundreds of students. “Near the end, his health was very bad and I feel very blessed that he thought of me in that way. I plan to hold a demonstration in April in Pittsburgh in his honor.
“I received the belt and a certificate, which will be on display at my school in Wexford.”
Zang, who was inducted into the International Karate and Kickboxing Hall of Fame late last year, was well aware of Grand Master Park long before he actually met him.
“I’d been reading about him my whole life,” said Zang. “I won a tournament in Atlantic City in 2009 and that earned me a spot in his tournament in Toronto and I won it two straight years with an undefeated record. He trained me for several years after that.”
Grand Master Park, a native of Korea, toured the world, bringing the art of taekwondo to over 120 countries.
“People knew about kung fu, karate and judo, but Grand Master Park was the pioneer of taekwondo and he made it his life’s mission to teach it to as many people as he could.
“Bruce Lee once used one of his moves in an episode of ”The Green Hornet.”
Grand Master Park lived in Canada for the last 50-plus years of his life.
“I’d go up there to work with him and he’d travel to Pittsburgh to take part in demonstrations,” Zang said. “He was so humble, too. He never liked to talk about himself and was a great ambassador.”
Having earned taekwondo’s highest honor, it may seem that Zang no longer has something to strive for.
“Taekwondo is about setting goals and working to achieve them,” he said. “A young girl recently asked me, ‘What will you do now?’
“Being a 9th degree is very flattering, but I’m excited to continue Grand Master Park’s legacy with my students. I will stay true to him, his taekwondo, and I’m excited for the future.”
