Ro Cho-ung, a towering figure in Kyokushin karate [Kyokushin Karate Federation Kyokukankai]
Ro Cho-ung, a towering figure in Kyokushin karate [Kyokushin Karate Federation Kyokukankai]

Ro Cho-ung — known in Japan as Royama Hatsuo — a towering figure in Kyokushin karate, the discipline founded by Choi Young-eui, died Monday of a chronic illness at 4:48 p.m., the Kyokushin Karate Federation Kyokukankai said. He was 78.

Born in 1948 in Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, as a second-generation Korean resident, Ro entered the Oyama Dojo in Ikebukuro, Tokyo — the early training hall that predated the founding of Kyokushinkaikan — during his first year of high school and studied Kyokushin karate under Choi.

He won the fifth Japan Championship in 1973 and finished runner-up at the inaugural World Championship in 1975. Renowned for his powerful low kicks, he earned the nickname "Low-Kick Royama" and established a Kyokushin fighting style built around low kicks and forward pressure.

Following the death of Kyokushinkaikan founder Choi in 1994, Ro was appointed chief instructor of the organization, but in 2003 he broke away to establish the Kyokushin Karate Federation Kyokukankai. Choi's death had triggered a broader split of Kyokushin karate into multiple factions. Ro stepped down as head of the federation in 2022, transitioning to the role of chairman.


yjc@heraldcorp.com