{"id":132,"date":"2025-10-18T19:14:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T00:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wsmkf.org\/wordpress1\/?post_type=yada_wiki&p=132"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:48:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T21:48:03","slug":"robert-frankovich","status":"publish","type":"yada_wiki","link":"http:\/\/wsmkf.org\/smk_wiki\/wiki\/robert-frankovich\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Frankovich"},"content":{"rendered":"

Master: Choi Join Pyo<\/span><\/p>\n

Generation:\u00a03rd Generation<\/a><\/p>\n

School:\u00a0Pan Song Ryu<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: {image}<\/p>\n

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Robert Frankovich<\/span>
\nSongMooKwan PanSongRyu 8th Dan Senior Master Instructor
\nHaedong Kumdo White Tiger Ryu Master Instructor
\nU.S.A. Martial Arts Hall Of Fame Inductee (2014 & 2015)
\nBruce Lee & Legends Hall of Honor Inductee (2015)
\nEmail Master F.<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Follow @WTMA_MN\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Frankovich was born and raised in Chisholm, MN. He attended Chisholm High School and graduated in 1980. Earning an Associate of Arts degree from Hibbing Community College and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in 1987 from the University of Wisconsin – Superior allowed him to begin working in the fitness industry. Later he went back to Hibbing Technical College and completed the law enforcement coursework necessary to become Minnesota POST eligible. He began working in the security industry in 1986 and since he has worked in proprietary and contact security as an armed and unarmed officer.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1981, he found the opportunity to train in Taekwondo through the Karate North<\/span>\u00a0 organization as part of Hibbing MN’s Community Education program and has continued his training since. When he moved to Superior, WI to complete his bachelor’s degree, he trained with the UW-Superior Karate North classes. His teaching started when Master Tom Sullivan<\/span>\u00a0 asked him to the UM-Duluth Summer class in 1986. His training continued at UW-Superior and he started offering classes through community education in Superior and Duluth.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1990, he changed his school name to Pine Tree Taekwondo<\/span> , which has been re-branded to Song Moo Kwan Pan Song Ryu<\/a> in 2020, to reflect the more traditional aspect that his teaching had developed toward. This is a result of his search for what Song Moo Kwan was. The first of his articles about Song Moo Kwan, an original school of Taekwondo, was published in 1994. He remained with the Karate North and earned the rank of 3rd Dan until 1996, when an opportunity was given to him to help build a new Song Moo Kwan Taekwondo organization. This new organization, in its original version, failed and he returned to Minnesota in late 1997.<\/span><\/p>\n

He began training at the North American Taekwondo Federation with Grandmaster Hee Sang Ro<\/a>, son of the Song Moo Kwan founder, and was promoted to 4th Dan before leaving the organization due to financial disagreements. In 2002, he contacted the American Song Moo Kwan Association, which had re-established itself after the initial attempt in 1996. He trained with their curriculum and was promoted to 5th Dan in August 2003. (View breaking demo from this test here)<\/a>. This was shortly before Master James Wohlwend took formal leadership of the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, Robert has been working to collect information about Song Moo Kwan, its Masters and Grand Masters and the stories from the leaders. Toward this goal, he developed the International Song Moo Kwan Association (ISMKA) as a place to collect the names, stories and those who have lost their instructors or schools but do not want to lose their connection to Song Moo Kwan. Through the Masters working with the ISMKA, he was promoted to 6th Dan in 2009. The ISMKA has been put aside and the work done moved to the World Song Moo Kwan United organization to benefit the growth of Song Moo Kwan under the leadership of SGM Joon Pyo Choi<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Taekwondo Training:<\/strong><\/span>
\n1981 to 1996…..Karate North Taekwondo (Northern Taekwondo Assoc., Tom Sullivan, Chief Instructor).<\/span>
\n12\/1988 …..Certified 1st Dan Black Belt through the Northern Taekwondo Association – Karate North under Tom Sullivan, Chief Instructor.<\/span>
\n12\/1990…..Certified 2nd Dan Black Belt through the Northern Taekwondo Association – Karate North under Tom Sullivan, Chief Instructor.<\/span>
\n4\/1992…..Certified Kukkiwon 1st Dan Black Belt through Grandmaster Hee Sang Ro.<\/span>
\n11\/1993…..Certified 3rd Dan Black Belt through the Northern Taekwondo Association – Karate North under Tom Sullivan, Chief Instructor.<\/span>
\n10\/1998…..Certified Fourth Dan Black Belt through the North American Taekwondo Federation & World Song Moo Kwan Association under Grandmaster Hee Sang Ro.<\/span>
\n5\/1999…..Certified Kukkiwon 2nd Dan Black Belt under Grandmaster Hee Sang Ro.<\/span>
\n6\/2000…..Certified 4th Dan Black Belt through Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Taekwondo.<\/span><\/p>\n

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7th Dan Test Panel (left to right) 8th Dan Grand Master James S. Cahn,\u00a0\u00a08th Dan Grand Master Roy Bushman, 10th Dan Supreme Grand Master Joon Pyo Choi, 9th Dan Grand Master Young Pyo Choi, 8th Dan Grand Master Kwang Ho Kim, 9th Dan Grand Master Ron Coleman.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8\/2002…..Certified 4th Dan Black Belt through American Song Moo Kwan Association.<\/span>
\n8\/2003…..Certified 5th Dan Master Black Belt through the American Song Moo Kwan Association.<\/span>
\n1\/2009…..Certified 6th Dan Master Black Belt through the International Song Moo Kwan Association.<\/span>
\n9\/2013…..Certified Kukkiwon 4th Dan Black Belt<\/span>
\n5\/2017…..Certified 7th Dan Senior Master through World Song Moo Kwan United under SGM Joon Pyo Choi.<\/span>
\n10\/2021…Certified 8th Dan Grand Master through World Song Moo Kwan United under SGM Joon Pyo Choi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Taekwondo Teaching:<\/strong><\/span>
\nSummer 1986…..University of Minnesota – Duluth Karate North Summer Session<\/span>
\n9\/1986 to 6\/1989…..Karate North classes for Duluth Community Education<\/span>
\n9\/1988 to 6\/1989…..Karate North class at the Supreme Courts Health and Fitness Club in Superior, WI<\/span>
\n1\/1990 to 5\/1994…..Pine Tree Taekwondo classes for Duluth Community Education<\/span>
\n6\/1994 to 2\/1996…..Pine Tree Taekwondo class at Boys and Girls Club of Duluth<\/span>
\n2\/1996 to 11\/1997…..Taught classes as part of American Championship Taekwondo, an American Song Moo Kwan\u00a0Association school in Orem, UT<\/span>
\n11\/1997 to 5\/2015…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (Hamline University club & PE dept.) Hamline University, St. Paul, MN<\/span>
\n9\/1998 to 6\/2004…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (Brooklyn Center Recreation Department) Brooklyn Center, MN<\/span>
\n2\/1999 to 8\/2002…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (Community Education) St. Paul Public Schools, St. Paul, MN<\/span>
\n2\/2000 to 2004…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (St. Olaf College Club) St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN<\/span>
\n9\/2002 to 5\/2005…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (Community Education) Robbinsdale Public Schools, Robbinsdale, MN<\/span>
\n6\/2004 to 1\/2010…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (Sparrow Institute) New Hope, MN.<\/span>
\n9\/2007 to 8\/2008…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (Community Education) Northfield Public Schools Northfield, MN<\/span>
\n1\/2009 to 9\/2013…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (Community Education) Braham Area Schools<\/span>
\n2\/2009 to 12\/2020…..Pine Tree Taekwondo (White Tiger Martial Arts) – Twin Cities dojang (Fridley, MN)<\/span>
\n2\/2009 to 12\/2018…..Pine Tree Taekwondo East Central dojang (Isanti, MN)<\/span>
\n2\/2021 to Current…..Rebranded Pine Tree Taekwondo as Song Moo Kwan Pan Song Ryu, a White Tiger Martial Arts (Fridley, MN) program<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Experiences and Activities:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n