Grandmaster Gedo Chang grew up in a mountain monastery in Kumsan, Chungnam province in South Korea, learning Hapkido from his father, a Buddhist monk. He became formally recognized as Master of Hapkido in 1964 and opened his school in Korea, calling it "Wol Ge Kwon." In 1973, the Korean Hapkido Association sent Master Chang to the U.S. to teach. That same year, he opened his first U.S. school in Lombard, IL, calling it "Chang's Hapkido Academy."