Master Yang Yong-seok (양용석, 9th dan) is one of the few original students of Myung Jae-nam kuksanim who is still actively teaching. He started to learn hapkido in 1968 while in middle school. He graduated from the INHA University in Incheon in 1980 with a degree in Korean language and literature.

As an active board member of the International HKD Federation master Yang helped to grow the federation. He also helped to organise the first International HKD Games and many editions of the games that came after that. After kuksanim’s death he became the official spokesperson for the IHF.

Master Yang Yong-seok frequently traveled abroad to promote kuksanim’s style, visiting the Netherlands, Greece and the US. In 2003 he co-founded the Sangmukwan International HKD Training center with master Ko Baek-yong. In 2014 master Yang became the vice-president of our federation. After master Ko Baek-yong passed away, master Yang became the head of the testing committee that oversees the graduation of black belts in our federation.