Blue Dragon Taekwondo Academy

2026 Korea Trip Recap | July 12-23, 2026

2026 Park Chung-Hee Cup International Taekwondo Championships

Our Blue Dragon Competition Team got the VIP treatment at the Park Chung-Hee Cup in Sangju, South Korea, with almost 5,200 competitors and 17 countries represented. Thank you again to:
President Sung Woo Lee
Executive Director Jae Duk Lee
Operations Director Junho Lee
Deputy Operations Officer Yubin Park
& the entire Gyeongsangbukdo Taekwondo Association staff and referees for their outstanding generosity and an amazing event we will never forget!
🥇 6 golds
🥈 1 silver
🥉 3 bronze
Go Team Blue Dragon!

Competition Team members: Lucas, Cayden & Sage all win 1st place in sparring on Day 2 of the event!🥇

Master Caitlin & Master Tyler walking back with the boys after their win 😤👏

Sage performing Taegeuk #4

Master Derek performing Keumgang on the big stage

Master Caitlin performs the Athlete’s Oath alongside representative Team Russia

Master Tyler receives an honorary plaque from GBTA President Sung Woo Lee

The masters with Kukkiwon President Ung-Suk Yun

Group photo at the Park Chung-Hee Cup

Team Blue Dragon outside the Sangju City Gymnasium

The team at Daegu World Cup Stadium

2 days of training with the Kyungsang Technical High School taekwondo team in Daegu

2 days training with the Junggye Middle School taekwondo team in Seoul

Team Blue Dragon presents an official Chung Ryong honorary plaque to Kukkiwon President Ung-Suk Yun

Team Blue Dragon at the Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters

Self-Defense Training with President Kim Eun Seob, Grandmaster Hwang Young Gab & Grandmaster Shi Jin Yong at the World Taekwondo Defense Federation Headquarters

Post-tournament team dinner with GBTA leadership team

Team Blue Dragon presents an official Chung Ryong honorary plaque to Daegu Mayor Yoo Kyuha

VIP bus time 🚌 🎉

🚨 SAVE THE DATE! 🚨

🥋 History is about to be made!

Join us on November 7, 2026 as Blue Dragon Taekwondo Academy hosts the Korea National Assembly President's Cup U.S. Taekwondo Championship at the San Jose Convention Center – South Hall, featuring an incredible 80,000 sq. ft. competition venue!

🇺🇸 This marks the FIRST-EVER Korea National Assembly Taekwondo Federation Championship in the United States, directed by Grandmaster Thac Nguyen, President of the Korea National Assembly Taekwondo U.S. Headquarters. We are excited to have Tournament Chairman Lee D**g Sup, former Kukkiwon President, in attendance!

🏆 Special Athlete Awards!
💰 $1,500 CASH PRIZE – Best Male Athlete (Cadet 12-14 Black Belt, Juniors 15-17 Black Belt)
💰 $1,500 CASH PRIZE – Best Female Athlete (Cadet 12-14 Black Belt, Juniors 15-17 Black Belt)
💰 $1,500 CASH PRIZE – Demo Team Competition Winner

Eligible divisions:
✅ Sport Poomsae
✅ Sparring (Kyorugi)
✅ Demo Team

📅 Registration Opens: August 15, 2026

Mark your calendars, gather your team, and get ready to compete on one of the biggest stages in U.S. Taekwondo history. This is an event you won't want to miss!

📍 November 7, 2026
📍 San Jose Convention Center – South Hall
📍 80,000 SQ FT Championship Venue

🔥 Hold the date. Train hard. Make history. We'll see you in San Jose!

Blue Dragon Masters Make History in South Korea!

A huge congratulations to Masters Tyler Nguyen, Derek Nguyen, and Caitlin Nguyen for an unforgettable month of training, competition, and historic achievements in the birthplace of Taekwondo!

Their incredible journey began at the Park Chung-Hee Cup International Taekwondo Championship, where they competed alongside more than 5,100 athletes from 17 countries. Demonstrating outstanding skill and determination, our three masters, together with four Blue Dragon student-athletes, earned an impressive 2 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal, proudly representing Blue Dragon Taekwondo Academy and the United States on the international stage.

The excitement continued at the 2026 World Taekwondo Hanmadang, held August 1–5, 2026, at Kukkiwon Headquarters in Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea. This year's Hanmadang welcomed 4,261 participants from 61 countries, making it one of the world's largest celebrations of Taekwondo excellence.

In a truly historic moment, Masters Tyler, Derek, and Caitlin became the first three siblings to compete together at the World Taekwondo Hanmadang, creating a remarkable milestone in Blue Dragon history. Their outstanding performances earned 2 Gold Medals and 2 Silver Medals, further demonstrating their dedication, discipline, and world-class ability.

Adding to the excitement, Masters Derek and Tyler competed head-to-head in the Senior Individual Division (Ages 18–30), where Master Derek captured the Gold Medal and Master Tyler earned the Silver Medal—an extraordinary accomplishment for two brothers competing among the world's best.

Master Caitlin became the 1st Female Athlete to captured Gold Medals in the Self-Defense Category 2 consecutive years in 2025 and 2026. She also captured a stunning silver medal in the Senior (18-30 year old) Sport Poomsae competition that had 45 competitors in her division! Not bad for someone who hasn't seriously trained in sport poomsae in over 4 years!

These remarkable achievements are a testament to years of relentless training, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. More importantly, they exemplify the values of Taekwondo and serve as an inspiration to every Blue Dragon student that with hard work, dedication, and courage, anything is possible!

Congratulations to Masters Tyler, Derek, and Caitlin on making Blue Dragon history and representing our academy, your community, and the United States with honor. Your Blue Dragon family is incredibly proud of you!

Our Blue Dragon Competition Team is getting the VIP treatment at the Park Chung-Hee Cup in Sangju, S. Korea, with almost 5,200 competitors and 17 countries represented. Go Team Blue Dragon!

It was such an honor having Assistant Chief Jamison at the World Taekwondo Defense Federation US Camp!

Best of Milpitas voting is open!

We kindly ask our Blue Dragon family to support us by voting for Blue Dragon Taekwondo Academy as the Best Martial Arts School.

You can vote once per day, and it only takes a few minutes. Voting ends July 26th.

We thank you for all your support!

https://milpitas.bestinvoting.com/

Join us at the Taste of Milpitas event on Saturday, June 20th and cheer on our Demo Team as they take the stage from 4:00–5:00 PM!
Bring your friends and family and come experience an exciting performance our students have been working hard to showcase during the last two weeks.
We’d love to see our TKD community there showing their support. Stop by, enjoy the event with lots of food vendors, entertainment, and the World Cup game, and help us make some noise for our Demo Team!
📍 Milpitas Civic Center / Community Center
⏰ Demo Performance: 4:00–5:00 PM
🎟️ Free Admission

Come check out the Blue Dragon Demo Team at the Taste of Milpitas FIFA World Cup Watch Party in the Milpitas Community Center on June 20, 2026 from 4:00 pm-5:00 pm!

We’re less than one month away from the World Taekwondo Defense Federation’s 3rd Combative & Self-Defense USA Camp right here at Blue Dragon Taekwondo Academy!

𝟱 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦-𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚
𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟲-𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 | 𝟴:𝟯𝟬𝗮𝗺-𝟱:𝟬𝟬𝗽𝗺

𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬
𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟭𝘁𝗵 | 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆

Train with world-renowned martial artist, military-defense instructor, and founder of the World Taekwondo Defense Federation — 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗺 𝗘𝘂𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗼𝗯
&
Former World Taekwondo Demo Team Captain (America’s Got Talent Finalist), Professional Stuntman, and Mix Martial Artist — 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗝𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗼𝗸

Discover self-defense in a way few have ever seen and learn what modern Taekwondo is truly meant to be.

Learn:
Close Quarters Combat
Hoshin Poomsae
Weapons Defense
TKDD Mindset
&
So much more…

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟱𝘁𝗵.

Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity.

Register or learn more at:
𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗧𝗞𝗗𝗗𝗨𝗦𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣.𝗰𝗼𝗺