Tae kwon do master Dr. Sang Kee Paik passed away at the age of 80 on Sunday after a long battle with cancer, leaving behind a legacy of humanitarianism and exceptional training of martial arts.
Paik was born into Japanese-occupied Korea on Aug. 21, 1929. He started his martial arts training in 1945, and received his first black belt in 1947.
Paik and his two children joined his wife in America in 1969 when the University of Wisconsin-Madison sponsored him to come and work. He worked as a lab scientist in the UW primate research lab, eventually becoming Unit Chief.