Born in Seoul, Korea in 1933, Mr. Shin began his martial arts training in 1943 when the world was deeply involved in WWII. In 1950 the North Korean attack found Mr. Shin in Seoul, and he, with his family, escaped to Pusan. During the Korean War, he served with distinction in the Special Student Battalion of the Republic of Korea Army (ROK), attaining the rank of Sergeant with special assignments. He was liaison with the U.S. Army, using his knowledge of English, and was a member of the Special Student Combat Police, having completed the combat police training required by the ROK Army, and where his martial art skills were invaluable. It was during the very turbulent times following the armistice where Mr. Shin's martial arts expertise was essential to his successful self-defense from an attack by a gang. These events were later chronicled in Black Belt Magazine's Twentieth Century Warriors published in 1971.

Mr. Shin graduated from Hong Ik, majoring in English literature. He was captain of the Judo team which won the national championship, and had earned both a 4th Degree Black Belt in Judo and a 4th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. His expertise was put to use with the assignment as instructor for South Korean Police and Prison Guards.

Arriving in the US, Mr. Shin attended Georgia Southwestern College in Americus, Georgia while serving as the College's martial arts coach and an instructor for US Marshals. Graduating in 1962 with a degree in business and the dream of establishing a martial arts training school, he founded the Military Arts Institute, the first Korean Judo and Tae Kwon Do training school in the Midwestern US.

Over the intervening years, Mr. Shin became a naturalized American citizen and has participated in numerous conferences on martial arts around the world, gaining an outstanding international reputation as a martial arts master. He has served as chairman of the Promotions Committee of the Chicago Judo Black Belt Association, is a past president of the Chicago Judo Black Belt Association, and is currently chairman of the International Tae Kwon Do Karate Federation.

Pursuing his interest in martial arts education, he co-authored, with Dr. Dae Shik Kim, of a landmark, pioneering college Judo textbook printed by Wm. C. Brown Publishing., founded and, beginning in 1962, published Judo Times magazine covering the US sport of Judo and, in 1972, Martial Arts Sports magazine.

In 1972, Mas Oyama recognized his old friend's abilities and contributions when he named Mr. Shin as an advisor to the Kyokushin Kai Kan Karate organization. In 1977, Mr. Shin was chairman of Organizing Committee for the 3rd World Tae Kwon Do Championships, in Chicago's Amphitheater. This was the first authorized international Tae Kwon Do competition held outside Korea. In 1977, he was appointed advisor to Pan American Tae Kwon Do Federations, and became executive director of the International Council-Martial Arts Education in 1983.

In 1983, promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do by the International Karate and Tae Kwon Do Federation, he compiled and published the definitive Poom Se (27 forms) text for the World Tae Kwon Do federation. In 1993 he served as chairman of the board of the Pan American Moo Duk Kwan Society. In 1990, the Korean Judo Association, Seoul, Korea, promoted him to 8th Degree Black Belt in Judo. In 1996 he was tournament president of the 50th Golden Jubilee International Tae Kwon Do Championship held in Los Angeles, California.