DO you not understand the implication of inflated rank and the potential to be teaching inferior material?
While the two are not exclusive, one does not require the other. There is plenty of inferior matieral being taught by people without inflated rank. Perhaps the pioneers of most of Korean arts should have put better mechanisms into place to curb this sort of thing. The Kuk Sool Won guy did from what I understand, and I think that Hwarang Do guy did as well. If I'm not mistaken, they can go after you legally if you use the names of those arts without being ranked in them.
And certainly, there were fakes and pretenders at the time HKD was founded.
And libel? Come on Daniel, are you kidding?
Firstly, my remark was neither directed at you nor was it meant to imply you. Secondly, people have been gone after legally for things that they post on internet forums about other people, so if the person to whom it was directed is going to keep saying 'such and such did thus and so,' which happens to be questionable, they really should be able to reference it to more than just an internet thread.
And with respect, seriously, you claim to be a hapkidoin
Claim to be.
- someone that claims very high rank in Hapkido should be something you question!
If I am planning to train under someone, I will question them to death. Otherwise, they're just another place that I crossed off of the list. While I would look forward to participating in a CHKD seminar, I have no desire to train via video. Video teaching pretty much kills it for me, regardless of GMP's rank or who promoted him.
The organizations that issued the rank SHOULD be held accountable - in particular when they have no business issuing rank in Hapkido in the first place.
Sure they should. By whom? The international MA regulatory commission? Doesn't exist, and since Korea doesn't have an equivalent to the Dai Nippon Butokukai, I guess it falls to the Kidohae. Apparently they gave GMP his rank. And apparently, they have no real power to hold anyone accountable or to prevent them using the name 'hapkido' in their art.
So it isn't going to happen. GMP's rank isn't going anywhere. Myung Kwang Sik passed away in 2009, and Seo is KSW and unlikely to go and bust GMP back down to whatever he was prior to being promoted to GM.
Combat Hapkido is not going to be confused for hapkido and frankly, the guys looking to rank via video aren't concerned with whether or not GMP's rank was inflated. And like myself, video training pretty much kills if for anyone who is really interested in quality training. Those who are interested in video learning probably aren't going to be at all interested in what you or I are doing anyway. And there's an instant GM in any major art you can think of with DVD's out there just for those who think that you can learn martial arts from the TV.
Which is why I say that people need to get over it with regards to this guy unless they're willing to either out market him or actually try to bring him up on fraud charges.
Perhaps all of the traditional or legitimate HKD GMs should get together and form an organization to define and register legitimate Hapkido kwans and to actually call BS on thsoe that they feel are not.
But if they're not willing to do that, then how do you propose to hold such organizations accountable?