North Wales, PA Martial Arts Studio Owner Receives Award from South Korean President

Yang’s Martial Arts School in North Wales, PA is one of the most prominent local businesses in the area. Its owner, Master Bong Pil Yang, recently got a Special Award from the South Korean president. The special commendation from his native country came after he received a similar honor from the district attorney’s office of Montgomery County.

Master Yang said that when you get recognitions, you should work harder, and at the same time stay dedicated and humble. He has lived in the greater Philadelphia area since 1978. He opened the school on South Main Street in the 1990s, from its previous location on Broad Street in Lansdale.

In more than three years in North Wales, he has formed several groups to help the Korean community in the region that included support for women, high school students of Korean background, and handicapped children. He also provided English language classes to help Koreans integrate into the community.

There are people who isolate others within their own society that includes Indians with Indians or Koreans with Koreans, to name a few. Yang said that there’s a need to break walls and someone has to integrate and preach to open the doors and work with each other.

Since 2002, Master Yang has worked to gather Korean, Chinese and American veterans of the Korean War via the annual Multi-Cultural Day takes place at the Parkside Place located in Upper Gwynedd.

At this year’s Multi-Cultural Day, 280 veterans of the Korean War got medals to thank them for their service. It was also during the day when the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office, represented by Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele, gave an award to Yang. He said that he was inspired by the reaction he saw during a small gathering he organized in 1985. He said that American and Korean senior citizens got together but they didn’t communicate with each other.

Photo from: http://www.yangsmartialart.com/