Dr John Johnson, 5th Dan, with the Phoenix Group has made history by being the third American to earn a PhD in Taekwondo, but the first to earn one with a concentration in the Philosophy of Taekwondo. He is also the first ITF practitioner to earn a degree from a Taekwondo college in a Korean university (Kyung-Hee University in South Korea).

Dr Johnson is in the process of writing several articles for the TaeKwon-Do times for publication.