# Master James Thorsten and the Rise of NYPD Taekwondo

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-black-belt-way-of-life-7024093/master-james-thorsten-and-the-rise-of-nypd-taekwondo
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-black-belt-way-of-life-7024093/master-james-thorsten-and-the-rise-of-nypd-taekwondo.md
Podcast: [A Black Belt Way of Life](https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-black-belt-way-of-life-7024093)
Published: 2025-12-04T04:05:00+00:00
Episode link: https://black-belt-way-of-life.captivate.fm
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/1871b605-4c82-4cd2-8286-6f801ecb61b4.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/a-black-belt-way-of-life-7024093/episodes/master-james-thorsten-and-the-rise-of-nypd-taekwondo
Duration seconds: 3239

## Resource

Master James Thorsten was born in Korea and came to the United States as a young child through adoption in 1976. Being a Korean American raised in the Bronx was not easy. Master Thorsten quickly needed to learn how to defend himself and have the confidence to survive the tough streets of the Bronx. His adopted family decided to give him a sense of culture. Master Thorsten began taking Taekwondo lessons at the world renowned Tiger Kim Taekwondo studio in the Bronx. Despite his Taekwondo training, there was still a lack of confidence, and also a fear of getting in trouble with the New York Police Department, since cops were not seen as friends or allies during that time . That fear of cops all came to an end with a chance encounter with a police officer who just wanted to speak to a young Master Thorsten.This encounter became Master Thorsten's inspiration to become a cop. As a police officer, Master Thorsten still trained in various styles of martial arts, but his true love and passion was always for Taekwondo. He achieved his rank of Master under Grandmaster YH Park. Master Thorsten's pursuit of serving the community led to the start of the NYPD Taekwondo Team alongside Lieutenant John Connolly. NYPD Taekwondo has become a place where law enforcement officers, who are current Taekwondo practitioners, can continue their training and compete under the NYPD Taekwondo Team banner. Through grants from the NYPD, children of all ages can train for free. Master Thorsten truly lives a life of service, even through his retirement. For everything BBWOL, NYPD Taekwondo, Press Record Studios and more, click below: NYPD Taekwondo Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561925888388 Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/nypdtaekwondo/ A Black Belt Way of Life…

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