TAEKWONDO ORIGINS/HISTORY

Is Taekwondo a modern or ancient martial art? Where did it come from? Who is the founder? The following text gives a brief synopsis on the history of Taekwondo.

Many have claimed that Taekwondo is an ancient martial art. Others have claimed that Taekwondo is a new, modern martial art, which has no ties to the ancient world. Both claims are partly true.

The origins of Korean martial arts may be traced back to the Koguryo dynasty in Korea, founded in 37 BC. Two royal tombs, Muyong-chong and Kakshu-chong, built sometime between 3 AD and 427 AD, were discovered in 1935. The ceiling of the Muyong-chong carried a painting depicting two men facing each other in some sort of martial art stance.

Martial arts were also practiced during the Silla dynasty, a kingdom founded in the southeastern part of Korea some 20 years before Koguryo, located in the north. A group of elite, young aristocrats, known as the Hwarang (Flower Youth), practiced martial arts and greatly influenced the military, educational, and social organizations at the time.

Between 1,147 and 1,170 A.D. one of the Korean martial arts was termed "Subak", a skill to improve health and a martial art of considerably high value. People who aspired to be employed by the military department of the royal government were eager to learn Subak as it was included in the test to be taken by the applicants. However, in the latter half of the Chosun dynasty, the importance of Subak as a martial art began to decline due to negligence of the royal court, which was constantly disturbed by strife between feuding political factions.

Along with the deterioration of national fortunes, the fall of the military was accelerated by the dismantling of the army; and finally Japanese imperialists colonized Korea through an oppressive forceful invasion. Seen as a potential means of revolt, all Korean martial arts were forbidden. However, a few martial arts, such as Taekyon, persisted as a physical and spiritual training method of anti-Japanese organizations such as the Independence Army and the Liberation Army.

General Choi, Hong Hi, who was one of the 110 founding fathers of the Korean army, has been credited as the founder of Taekwondo. General Choi began learning martial arts at an early age. He learned both calligraphy and the Korean art of Taekyon from Han, Il Dong. He also learned and attained a black belt in Shotokan Karate, under the instruction of Guchin Funagoshi (the founder of Shotokan Karate).

As a 2nd lieutenant of the Korean army, General Choi taught Tang Soo Karate (meaning Tang hand, from the Tang dynasty of China) to Korean soldiers while stationed in the 4th regiment in Kwang Ju. Choi wanted to teach a Korean martial art (at this time, Korean martial arts were rare to the public and hardly unknown due to the ban of Korean martial art s by the Japanese government), and so began his research on a new martial art for about nine years...one based on scientific movement with a mentality that would fit the Korean soldiers.

Shortly after the Korean war broke out, Choi took over Chung Do Kwan, as requested by its founder, Lee, Won Kuk. Choi was still teaching a martial art called "Tang Soo," but the techniques were now far different from the Shotokan Karate he had studied earlier.

In 1954, President Seung Man Rhee (Republic of Korea) watched a Tang Soo demonstration, organized by Choi and performed by the 29th division. After watching Master Nam, Tae Hee break roof tiles with his fist, the Korean president commented that what he observed was a demonstration of Taekyon, and ordered that all military personnel be trained in this martial art. Thus, General Choi founded the Oh Do Kwan (or, Gym of My Way), to accommodate the military training. Because the techniques he taught were neither Taekyun nor Tang Soo, Choi sought to create a new name for this unique martial art. Therefore, in 1955, with the help of an advisory committee, the martial art was named Taekwondo (the Way of the Hand and Foot). Previously, the Korean martial arts instructors were still using names like Tang Soo, Kwon Bup, or Gong Soo.

Although "Taekwondo" was incorporated as the name of the martial art, many leaders from the Korean martial arts communities still used the old names, which represented techniques based on Japanese karate. In order to unify the martial arts community and to truly reflect the martial art as a Korean art (and to also gain admittance into the Korean Sports Union), the five major martial arts styles' leaders met in 1959 and decided to change their old martial arts names to Taekwondo. The five leaders, with their respective styles, were as follows: Noh, Byung Jik (Song Moo Kwan); Yoon, Kwe Byung (Ji Do Kwan); Lee, Nam Suk (Chang Moo Kwan); Hwang, Ki (Moo Duk Kwan); and General Choi, Hong Hi (Chung Do Kwan & Oh Do Kwan). On September 16, 1961, the Korean Taekwondo Association was established. In 1966, the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) was formed by Choi, and the martial art spread rapidly throughout the world. Korean instructors began going abroad to teach Taekwondo in the 1960s--a turning point in the history of Taekwondo.

In the United States, quite a few Korean masters, such as Jhoon Rhee and Haeng Ung Lee, immigrated to the United States to teach Taekwondo. In 1969, Haeng Ung Lee founded the American Taekwondo Association, now the largest centrally organized taekwondo association in the world. Through the ATA, Haeng Ung Lee developed the Songahm style of taekwondo, and spread this traditionally-based art throughout the world (known as Songahm Taekwondo Federation in South America, and the World Traditional Taekwondo Union in Canada, South Africa and Europe). A branch of ATA also exists in South Korea, known as ATA Korea.

The Korean government took over Taekwondo in Korea and formed the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) in 1972, under the direction of Kim, Un Yong. Through the WTF, Taekwondo has gained popularity as a sport. Taekwondo was added as a demonstration sport in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and later as an official full medal sport in the 2000 Sydney Games.