Dong Ja Yang

Dong Ja Yang was the Chairman of the AAU National Taekwondo Union from 1979-1984. From 1984-1988, Dong was a member of the Executive Board of the United States Olympic Committee. A PhD graduate in Counselling Psychology, Yang introduced Taekwondo to 77 colleges in the United States from 1977 to 1983. During these years he was essential in helping raise Taekwondo to an Olympic Status. He taught Taekwondo for 35 years at Howard University. In 1986, Dong Ja Yang asked Kim un-Yong to lower the black belt fee for Taekwondo, which resulted with his removal from the WTF Pan American Taekwondo Union. In 1988 three of his students earned medals in the Olympics in Taekwondo. They were Lynnette Love, Debra Holloway, and Sharon Jewell. He was presented with an award from Congressman Ralph Metcalfe for his work in bringing women to Taekwondo. At Howard University he hosted the Howard University Taekwondo Championships. In 2001, he filed a complaint against the United States Taekwondo Union. Dong was elected to the Taekwondo Hall of Fame and holds a 9th degree black belt.