Taekwondo History 

Beginning of the need for self defense started with Cain & Able.

The Old Testament patriarchs were trained for warfare.

King David practiced and taught forms and worship to God while in exile.

660-892 A.D. Silla Dynasty

•  Silla Dynasty reigned in Koryo ( an ancient name for Korea )

•  Korea is a small peninsula south of Communist China. They have continually been at war. They desperately need an effective army to protect their country.

•  The 24th King of the Silla Dynasty formed an Officers Warrior Corps named Hwa Rang Dan. The warriors in this group were called Hwa Rang Dan Warriors or Subak Warriors.

•  They sudied the fighting habits of wild animals and isolated the techniques that would be effective. Then, they incorporated strict discipline, rigorous exercises and intense concentration.

•  This system was named: Soo Bak (SUBAK) Do or TaeKyun. It became the most effective hand and foot fighting known to man.

•  PHOTO OF SUBAK WARRIOR

935 A.D.- 1392 A.D. Koryo Dynasty

•  During the Koryo dynasty, the name was changed to Korea .

•  Rulers were strictly military, in order to defend the country against invadions. The soldiers were among the finest produced and their bravery was a source of inspiration for the people.

•  Subak Do became a sport for exercise and competition. Military competitors with good tournament abilities were usually promoted to higher military ranks.

1392 A.D. begins the Yi dynasty

•  Subak Do became more popular as a national sport among the general public.

•  Subak Do was given as part of the test to be employed by the military department of the royal government.

•  The Yi dynasty was a period of peace. The security and stability prompted a rise in the "peaceful arts," such as painting and literature, and a decline in the martial arts.

•  Subak Do declined in general popularity.

•  It was at this time that the tradition of passing Taekwondo from father to son developed.

Sino-Japanese War of 1894- World War II

•  Korea was involved in continuous war.

•  Foreign fighting styles influenced Subak practitioners.

•  Three traditional Korean fighting styles called Tae Kyon are taught in the city of Seoul in the early 1800's.

•  The Korean government puts a stop to martial arts training because several groups or gangs were misusing the martial arts.

•  Japan occupies Korea and makes martial arts illegal to teach or study any martial art including Tang Soo Do.

Won Kuk Lee (Center) with the Sell Family.
Also pictured, Grandmaster Hae Man Park (seated on left)

•  Won Kuk Lee moves to Japan for college education and discovers that Tang Soo Do training is very popular there. He becomes a student and realizes that the Korean people are being deprived of their national history and legacy of martial arts. He moves back to Korea from Japan with a goal to legalize martial arts in Korea once again.

Grandmaster Sell meeting with Supreme Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee.

•  1944 As a college professor, Won Kuk Lee (founder of Chung Do Kwan) is given permission by the government to re-introduce Tang Soo Do in Korea .

•  1945 Japanese vacated Korea . Korea has it's independence. There is much political problems. Gangs and political groups fought each other in the streets. Some of the gangs used Tang Soo Do as a fighting technique, so the government tried to discourage the teaching of Tang Soo Do in the same way that Tae Kyon was suppressed after it was misused. The government refused to allow teaching of Tang Soo Do in any government facilities such as public schools.

•  Grandmaster Lee moves out of Korea because of political persecution. His students began to modernize and organize training schools, called "toe'chongs." These schools were called kwans. NOTE: All Taekwondo styles are derived from Chung Do Kwan, including ITF.

•  By 1950 there were 17 different kwans. Grandmaster Uoon Kyu Uhm becomes Chung Do Kwan President.

•  Photo of EBS & GM Uhm

•  1961 Korean government recognized 5 kwans. Chung Do Kwan is the largest.

•  1965 Korea Taekwondo Association was formed to organize, certify and credential Taekwondo.

•  1967 U.S. Chung Do Kwan Association formed.

•  Photo EBS outside Trenton Studio

•  1972 Taekwondo became the National Sport of Korea.

•  Photo Delegates at the organizing conference of the WTF.

•  1973 Twenty countries from around the world formed the World Taekwondo Federation and officially made the Kukiwon their headquarters.

The WTF Headquarters, Seoul Korea. (Kukkiwon)

The following is taken directly from "Forces of TaeKwonDo" written by Grandmaster Edward B. Sell, used by permission.

THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF TAE KWON DO

From 660 A.D. to 892 A.D., the Dynasty of Silla reigned in the peninsula of Koryo, an area known today as Korea, located just south of China. To defend their kingdom the constant harassments and periodic invasions of their powerful northern neighbors, Chin Heung, the 24th King of Silla, formed an Officers Warrior Corps and named it "Hwa Rang Dan." To develop a superior method of self-defense, these ancient Korean warriors traveled to the mountains, forest and seashores of Koryo, studying the habits of wild animals. From these animals, they sought to isolate those defensive and offensive techniques which gave it its most formidable advantage. These new techniques were adapted to, and combined with, the traditional methods of self-defense. By incorporating the strict discipline taught by the Buddhist monks, particularly the rigorous exercises designed to develop intense concentration, these young warriors formulated the means to coordinate the mind and body into one harmonious system This system was called "Soo Bak Do" or "Tae Kyun," meaning " The art of systematically kicking and punching with bare feet and hands." The system rapidly became known as the most effective unarmed martial art in the world. The Hwa Rang Dan warrior, also known as the Subak Warrior, became renowned for his courage and skill in combat. Their legendary heroism inspired the people of Silla to rise and to eventually conquer their enemies. With Silla's many victories, the peninsula of Koryo was united as one country for the first time in history. This is not to indicate, however, that the history of TaeKwonDo begins with the Dynasty of Silla. There are traces of TaeKwonDo as far back as 37 years B.C. in the form of murals and giant carvings, pieces of art that were created during the Koguryo era.

Soo Bak Do retained its popularity through the Silla and Koryo dynasties and achieved its greatest prominence during the succeeding dynasty which was established in 935 A.D. and ruled for 457 years. It was from the Koryo dynasty that the peninsula gained its modern name , Korea. The kingdom under strict rulers were strictly militaristic in spirit , a fact ditated by the necessity of defending the country against continual foreign invasions. The soldiers of the Koryo dynasty were among the finest the country has ever produced, and their martial spirit and bravery has been a source of inspiration ever since. At this time, Soo Bak Do was practiced not only as a martial art, but also as means to improve health and a sport to enjoy competitively. An extract from historical record of Koryo says that "King Uijong admired the excellence of Yi Ui-min (the sport of) Soo Bak and promoted him to much higher military rank." With the rise of Yi dynasty in Korea, founded by Yi Sung Kye in Koryo period, became known as a national sport among the general public. Those who wanted to be employed by the military department of the royal government had to learn Soo Bak Do, since it became part of the test given to applicants. During this time, King Chongjo published an illustrated textbook on the martial arts which included a major study of Soo Bak Do as one of the most effective means of unarmed self- defense. Except for internal security and stability prompted a rise in the "peaceful arts," such as painting and literature, and a decline in the martial arts. Consequently. Soo Bak Do declined in general popularity and became the pastime of few devotees, mainly young persons. It was at this point that the tradition of passing TaeKwonDo from the father to son developed.

From the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 through WWII, Korea was involved in the continual military conflicts between China and Japan. During this period, these foreign fighting styles influenced Soo Bak Do practitioners. Teachers began to modernize their training methods. It was the first time that the teachers took it upon themselves to develop and organize schools, called" toe'chongs" or "do'changs" using many names to promote their methods of teaching, such as Tae Soo Do, Tang Soo Do, Tae Kyun, Chong Do, Soo Bak, Tung Soo, Mu Do, Ji Do, Sang Do, Kang Do, plus many more. All of these stronger ones survived. In 1945, after the liberation of South Korea, a number of martial arts teachers began a conscientious effort to revitalize the art of Taekwondo as a national sport, and also began to combine the ancient philosophical training into a modern method of self-defense, but also strengthened the mind as well as the body.

By 1950, there were 17 different styles of Korean martial art. Each style embodied the same basic principles but were labeled by different names, many of which contradicted the others. It was not until 1961 that the Korean Government decided that something had to be done to preserve its national heritage in the field of martial arts. Much confusion was being spread throughout the world as each martial arts instructor left Korea claiming that his style was the best form of self-defense known to mankind With the influence of high ranking government officials and the cooperation of prominent Taekwondo masters, the Korean Tae Kwon Do Association was formed in 1965. A program was then instituted by the Korean government to select those schools which best exemplified the tradition of Taekwondo . After much research, and an intense testing and reclassification of instructors, five schools were selected from the seventeen Korean styles to be charter members of the Korean Tae Kwon Do Association. Since that time, four other styles have been recognized as members of the world's first and strongest Taekwondo Association.

During this transitional period, Grandmaster Sell was sanctioned with the U.S. Air Force at Osan Air Force Base and was training at the local Chung Do Kwan school in Pyon Teak-kun(central South Korea). He well remembers the confusion that overwhelmed the ranks of the Korean instructors. He also remembers his Korean instructors coming back from Seoul City battered and bruised after being re-evaluated and accepted as members into the new association. He often wondered what their opponents looked like after being told that his instructors received good grades while being tested for their sparring ability.

In 1973, the Korean Taekwondo Association organized and sponsored the First World Tae Kwon Do Championships held in Seoul, Korea at a site designated as the World Headquarters for Tae Kwon Do throughout the world. In May 1973, twenty countries formed the World Tae Kwon Do Federation and officially made the Kukkiwon their headquarters. From that time, Taekwondo has rapidly spread around the world, not only as a unique martial arts but as a fascinating competitive sport.

Read on » What is TaeKwonDo?