History of Taekwon-Do

Taekwon-Do, the Way of the Foot and Hand, is Korean Martial Art created by General Choi Hong Hi. Although humans have been practicing unarmed combat for thousands of years, Taekwon-Do is a relatively new martial art, having been developed by General Choi in the 1940’s and 50’s utilising scientific principles to create a highly effective system of self-defence and a martial art that has now achieved global recognition.

Born on November 9, 1918, in Hwa Dae, Korea, General Choi Hong Hi began his martial arts journey in his youth, where he studied various disciplines including Taekkyon and Karate. At that time Korea was one nation under Japanese control and as such the practice of martial arts by Koreans was forbidden.  In 1945 Korea was liberated from Japanese rule and shortly thereafter, a young 2nd Lieutenant Choi began teaching soldiers of the newly formed Republic of Korea (ROK) his form of unarmed combat.

His aim was to create a comprehensive martial art that amalgamated physical techniques, mental discipline, and philosophical principles. This ambition led to the birth of Taekwon-Do and on April 11th, 1955, a special committee overseen by the Korean President Dr Syngman Rhee, officially recognised this new martial art and Taekwon-Do was born.