You Must Remember…Chun and Jhoon Rhee

“I Didn’t Know That Commercial Was Going to Catch On”

—Chun and Jhoon Rhee

Jhoon Rhee, 83, opened his first tae kwon do school in DC in 1962. By the 1970s—thanks to his memorable “Nobody bothers me” commercials—he had 11 schools. Jhoon’s son, Chun—the boy who winks at the end of the ad and says, “Nobody bothers me, either!”—is 48 and owns Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do in Falls Church.

Chun: “I was five; my sister was four. It was not planned we were going to be in the commercial. We happened to be with my dad, and the student filming it said, ‘Let’s have the kids in it.’ I remember standing on a milk crate and saying my line. Later, we’d come home from school and watch cartoons—‘Speed Racer,’ ‘Ultraman.’ The commercial would come on and I’d say, ‘Look, I’m on TV.’ I thought everyone age five was on TV.”

Sherri Dalphonse

Executive Editor

Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986. She is the editor in charge of such consumer topics as travel, fitness, health, finance, and beauty, as well as the editor who handles such cover stories as Great Places to Work, Best of Washington, Day Trips, Hidden Gems, Bikes and Hikes, Fairs and Festivals, Great Small Towns, and the Washington Bucket List. She lives in Arlington.