World Taekwondo Europe has paid tribute to the late Grandmaster Kim Chul-Hwan ©World Taekwondo Europe

World Taekwondo Europe (WTE) has announced the death of Grandmaster Kim Chul-Hwan "with deep sadness and sorrow".

Born in Korea in 1953, he became world champion with the South Korean team in 1973.

He was also Asian champion and won the 1978 Pre World Games in Seoul.

The ninth dan holder and Grandmaster came to Germany in 1978 and from 1980 onward founded several taekwondo schools in and around the city of Aachen.

The late Grandmaster Kim Chul-Hwan - a world champion who went on to become an inspirational coach ©World Taekwondo Europe
The late Grandmaster Kim Chul-Hwan - a world champion who went on to become an inspirational coach ©World Taekwondo Europe

"Grandmaster Chul-Hwan trained many outstanding athletes and passed the flame and passion of taekwondo to even more," a WTE statement said.

"His practices were an institution for the German taekwondo and martial arts scene, and through his work, he formed and promoted numerous successful fighters.

"One such was Wolfgang Dahmen, a mathematics professor at the RWTH Aachen University, Leibniz Prize winner and world champion in 1975, who trained under Kim Chul-Hwan.

"His personality and character will forever remain a landmark in the European taekwondo landscape.

"On behalf of Taekwondo Europe and the taekwondo family, we express our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Grandmaster Kim Chul-Hwan."