History of Taekwon-Do

Taekwon-Do was named on 11 April 1955. This is not to say that Korean martial arts did not exist before then, but that was the year in which the name was first put forward.

Japan occupied Korea for many years and during the Second World War the two countries were co-belligerents. Many Koreans fought on the side of the Japanese and received training in the Japanese martial art systems.

One of the most prominent personalities at this time was General Choi Hong Hi.
Gen. Choi had studied the Korean art of Tae Kyon as a child and as a student in Japan he had learned Karate. This combination of Korean and Japanese arts was to form the basis of his knowledge.

In January of 1946, General Choi, a company commander in the Korean army, began to teach Karate to his soldiers as a means of physical and mental training. It was then that he realised that he needed to develop a Korean martial art, and with this in mind he began to develop new techniques. In 1954 there was a martial arts exhibition where General Choi’s senior student Mr Nam Tae Hi smashed 13 roof tiles with a punch. Impressed by this demonstration, South Korean President Syngman Rhee instructed General Choi to officially introduce the art into the Korean army. By the mid 1950s the various martial arts schools were ordered by President Rhee to unify under a single system. The name "Taekwon-Do" was submitted by General Choi on April 11, 1955.

Gen. Choi organised the first international demonstration tour, the consequences of which contributed towards the eventual formation of the International Taekwon-Do Federation on 22 March 1966. In 1972, as a result of political pressure within South Korea, Gen. Choi left the country to re-establish the headquarters of the ITF in Canada, later to be relocated to Vienna. The Korean government quickly set up a rival international body, calling it the World Taekwondo Federation. Since that time, Taekwon-Do has been divided, and the techniques, patterns and systems differ between the two styles.

We continue to practice the original form of Taekwon-Do, the Chang-Hon style. The theories, terminology, techniques, systems, methods, rules, uniform, and philosophical foundation were scientifically developed, systemised, and named by Gen. Choi Hong Hi. On a philosophical level, Taekwon-Do is derived from traditional, ethical and moral principles, and from the personal philosophy of Gen. Choi.

The physical techniques of Taekwon-Do are based on the principles of modern science, in particular Newtonian physics which teaches us how to generate maximum power.

Although Karate and Tae Kyon were used as references in the course of developing the art, the fundamental theories and principals of Taekwon-Do are different from those of any other martial art.
General Choi passed away on the 15th of June 2002.

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General Choi Hong Hi, founder of Taekwon-Do