So I sign up to this school that teaches TaeKwonDo and HapKiDo

They salute the flag and bow to a picture of the instructor in addition to bowing to the instructor if the instructor is there

I have no problem with bowing to a living human being as a greeting but I requested not to bow to any object that is not alive as a religious exemption

The instructor let me go without saluting the flag or bowing to objects for months

Then he said you should salute the flag because saluting is not bowing