Master Chong’s World Class Taekwondo Centers were founded by Grand Master Sun Ki Chong. Grand Master Chong is one of the leading Taekwondo instructors in the world. He is both a former Korean champion, as well as a former head coach for the U.S. National Taekwondo team.

Grand Master Chong continues to be highly involved in the operation of all of our locations. He conducts instructor training for our full time staff on a weekly basis, and oversees the student belt testing process for both color belt and black belt exams.

He personally developed the curriculum taught in our centers and designed it to be a balance of traditional Taekwondo forms, practical self defense, and Olympic Style sparring skills.

Grand Master Chong’s philosophy is that Taekwondo is about self improvement as well as self defense. This is evident in our teaching methods. Our instructors focus on teaching “life skills” just as much as physical techniques. We help students of all levels to gain increased focus, confidence, and determination that they can apply to all areas of their life.

Master Mertens is a 6th Degree Black Belt, and the senior ranking student of Grandmaster Chong, having studied under him for over thirty years.

As an athlete, Master Mertens was a three time New York State sparring champion, a 2x bronze medalist at the Collegiate National Taekwondo championships, and captain of the Cornell University sparring team.

Master Mertens is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, with a focus on Organizational Behavior.

Along with Grandmaster Chong, Master Mertens is responsible for curriculum development and instructor training for the staff of World Class Taekwondo Centers.