"America...where women's dreams could come true." Master Choon-Ok Harmon 9th Dahn
Not being able to fulfill my dreams has never crossed my mind. My parents taught me to work hard, and anything can happen. Not so in other countries - at least not for a woman. After reading "The Iron Butterfly," I realized how this freedom is often taken for granted. But not in the case of Master Choon-Ok Harmon. She grew up in Korea where she fought to come into this world. Not appreciated for being a female by her father, she found her strength and made her dreams come true. With the commitment she made at the young age of twelve to Kuk Sool Won (Korean Martial Arts System) the example set by her mother and the love of a man from the West she made her life a success and an example to other women young and old. "Iron Butterfly" takes you on a very personal journey of a young woman, from harsh living conditions to finding and holding her own in this world. Her mother, who fed her seven children by being a Haenyo (A Sea Woman) diving into the dark, cold ocean waters at night to gather seaweed and any form of food was her example says Choon-Ok.
My conversation with Choon-Ok, her husband Master Barry Harmon and co-author Ana Maria Rodriguez was indeed a pleasure and an honor. Choon-Ok, a soft spoken, elegant woman should not be mistaken for anything less than a master of her art.
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