The History of Tae Kwon Do



Tae Kwon Do is the Korean Art of self-defence and means 'Art of Hand and Foot Fighting'. It is a version of an ancient form of unarmed combat practised for many centuries in the Orient. Tae Kwon Do came to be perfected in it's present form in Korea. Translated from Korean, "Tae" literally means to jump, kick or smash with the foot. "Kwon" denotes a fist chiefly to punch or destroy with the hand or fist. "Do" means art, way or method. Tae Kwon Do indicates the technique of unarmed combat for self-defence, involving the skilled application of punches, kicks, blocks, dodges and interception with the hand, arms and feet to the rapid destruction of the opponent.

Tae Kwon Do was inaugurated in South Korea on April 11, 1955 following extensive research and development by the founder Major General Choi Hong Hi, 9th Degree Black Belt. It was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1967. To the Korean people Tae Kwon Do is more than a mere physical use of skilled movements. It also implies a way of thinking and life, particularly in instilling concept and spirit of strict self-imposed discipline and an ideal of noble moral rearmament.

In these days, where violence and intimidation seem to plague our modern societies, Tae Kwon Do enables the weak to possess a fine weapon to defend himself or herself and defeat the opponent as well. When wrongly applied it can be a lethal weapon. Even if Tae Kwon Do is practised for exercise alone, the enjoyment derived will justify the time invested and spent. As an exercise it is equally suitable for old as for the young, for men and for women.

The earliest records of Martial Arts practice in Korea date back to about 50 B.C. These earliest forms of Korean martial arts are known as 'Taek Kyon'. Evidence that Martial Arts were being practiced at that time can be found in tombs where wall-paintings show two men in fighting-stance. Others reject this evidence
and say that these men could be simply dancing.

Silla unified the kingdoms after winning the war against Paekje in 668 A.D. and Koguryo in 670 A.D. The
Hwa Rang Do played an important role at this unification. The Hwa Rang Do was an elite group of young
noble men, devoted to cultivating mind and body and serve the kingdom Silla. The best translation for HwaRang would probably be "flowering youth" (Hwa ="flower", Rang="young man"). The HwaRang Do had an honor-code and practiced various forms of martial arts, including Taekyon and Soo Bakh Do. The old honor-code of the HwaRang is the philosophical background of modern Taekwondo.

What followed was a time of peace and the HwaRang turned from a military organization to a group specialized in poetry and music. It was in 936 A.D. when Wang Kon founded the Koryo dynasty, an abbreviation of Koguryo. The name Korea is derived from Koryo.

During the Koryo Dynasty the sport Soo Bakh Do, which was then used as a military training method,
became popular. During the Yi-dynasty (1392 A.D. - 1910 A.D.) this emphasis on military training
disappeared. King Taejo, founder of the Yi-dynasty, replaced Buddhism by Confucianism as the state religion. According to Confucianism, the higher class should study the poets, read poems and and play music. Martial arts was something for the common, or even inferior, man.

Modern-day Taekwondo is influenced by many other Martial Arts. The most important of these arts is Japanese Karate. This is because Japan dominated Korea during 1910 until the end of World War II. During WWII, lots of Korean soldiers were trained in Japan. During this occupation of Korea, the Japanese tried to erase all traces of the Korean culture, including the martial arts. The influence that Japan has given to Taekwondo are the quick, lineair movements, that characterize the various Japanese systems. After World War II, when Korea became independant, several kwans arose. These kwans were:

Chung Do Kwan
Moo Duk Kwan
Yun Moo Kwan
Chang Moo Kwan
Oh Do Kwan
Ji Do Kwan
Chi Do Kwan
Song Moo Kwan

The Kwans united in 1955 as Tae Soo Do. In the beginning of 1957, the name Ta

ekwondo was adopted by several Korean martial arts masters, for its similarity to the name Tae Kyon.

General Choi Hong-hi required the army to train Taekwondo, so the very first Taekwondo students were Korean soldiers. The police and air force had to learn Taekwondo as well. At that time, Taekwondo was merely a Korean version of Shotokan Karate. In 1961 the Korean Taekwondo Union arose from the Soo Bakh Do Association and the Tae Soo Do Association. In 1962 the Korean Amateur Sports Association acknowledged the Korean Taekwondo Union and in 1965 the name was changed to Korean Taekwondo Association (K.T.A.). General Choi was president of the K.T.A. at that time and was asked to start the I.T.F. as the international branch of the K.T.A. The southern government was overthrown in 1961. General Choi Hong-hi left for America and established I.T.F. (International Taekwondo Federation) Taekwondo, as a separate entity, two years later.