Who Were the Blue Dragons?

      The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (aka ROK Marines) was founded as a reconnaissance group just before the Korean War.  Established in 1949 with an initial strength of 380 men, the ROK Marines first saw action in combat during the Korean War.  During this conflict, journalists dubbed the ROK Marines "Invincible Marines" after an incident where a squad of ROK Marines wiped out an entire battalion of Communist forces.  During the Vietnam conflict, the ROK Marines were also called "The Legendary ROK Marines" because of their victories in battle.  There were three main units deployed to Vietnam: the Capital (Tiger) Division, The ROK Marines 2nd brigade (Blue Dragon) and the 9th division (White Horse).


     The ROK Marines most notable operations during Vietnam were "Operation Van Buren" and the battle of Hoi An.  During Operation Van Buren, a ROK Marine platoon of thirteen soldiers wiped out an elite North Vietnamese Army regiment, resulting in only 2 Korean casualties and over 400 NVA killed.  The initial gun battle had developed into bloody hand to hand combat.  The ROK Marines boasted a kill ratio of 25 - to - 1 during the war.


     Through two wars, the ROK Marines were never defeated in combat.  The Blue Dragon Brigade fought in many engagements and skirmishes, with many of them developing into hand to hand combat.  Their battle record is among the finest of any fighting force in history.

How do the Blue Dragons
relate to our school?

    Han Young Kim (later Grand Master Han Young Kim) was the hand to hand combat instructor for the Blue Dragon Brigade.  He served honorably during three tours in Vietnam and after the war moved to the Baltimore, Maryland area where he established Blue Dragon Tae Kwon Do school.  One of his students, Joseph LaFrance, (later Master Joe LaFrance) was a long time student of Grandmaster Kim's.  As he grew older, Master LaFrance opened up a Tae Kwon Do school in Annapolis, MD where he was working and raising a family.

     The Matthews family moved to Annapolis in 1998 and began training with Master Joe LaFrance, who focused heavily on sparring and fighting techniques.  Master Joe conducted his classes in the "old style", which focused on hard training, respect, and a commitment to excellence in the martial arts.  The Matthews continued their training with Master Joe until 2000, when they moved back to the Cincinnati area.

     Mr. and Mrs. Matthews share a proud heritage with many students who have trained under Grandmaster Han Young Kim.  Along with their partner, Mrs. Jennifer Chast, the Matthews vowed to establish a school with the same philosophy and principles of Grandmaster Kim.  As owners of Blue Dragon Martial Arts, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews and Mrs. Chast want to share their love for the martial arts and encourage students to achieve their highest potential possible through dedicated training with an eye toward excellence.