History of Tae Kwon Do

There are many theories about the origins of fighting techniques without weapons. The following history is the most traditional view and is believed to be the most credible.

Ancient Need for Self-Protection:

Primitive people, no matter where they lived, had to develop personal fighting skills in order to defend themselves against their enemies. Thus, empty hand fighting did not originate in any one country, but in almost all parts of the globe as it was needed.

As the ancients invented weapons for more effective self-defense and better subsistence, they continued their practice of various games to promote their physical and mental sharpness in the form of religious rites. In Korea’s tribal states, many such sporting activities were practiced after the Neolithic era. These activities eventually developed into arts to improve health, known today as martial arts. Practitioners imitated the defensive and offensive positions assumed by animals and slowly developed effective skills in hand-to-hand fighting. These gave way to a primitive form of “tae-kyon” (an ancient name for Tae Kwon Do).

Development of Korea’s Tae Kwon Do:

Koguryo Dynasty

The origin of Tae Kwon Do in Korea can be traced back to the Koguryo Dynasty, which was founded in 37 B.C. This is evidenced by murai paintings found in the ruins of royal tombs like those of Myong-chong and Kak chu-chong in the Kwando province of Machuria, which depicted figures practicing Tae Kwon Do. The date of these murals seems to indicate that Tae Kwon Do is purely of Korean origin and did not develop as an outgrowth of the Chinese martial art, “kwonbop,” which was introduced to Korea in 520 A.D.

Silla Dynasty

Silla was a kingdom founded in southeastern part of Korea some twenty years before Koguryo. In Kyong ju, the ancient capital of Silla, there are two Buddhist images inscribed on the Keun Kan Giant Tower that face one another in a Tae Kwon Do stance.

Silla is also famous for its Hwaran-do, the knight’s errant who devoted themselves to hunting, learning and the martial arts. Development of the martial arts was an essential part of Silla’s struggle to unify the whole country, as Tae Kwon Do played a major part in the physical training of Hwarang-do.

Koryo Dynasty

Founded in 918 A.D., the Koryo Dynasty picked up the martial arts gauntlet from its predecessors and elevated it to great popularity among its common people. Records indicate that the Koryo Dynasty practiced Tae Kwon Do (termed “subak” at that time) as a martial art as well as a sporting activity.

Yi Dynasty

During the Yi Dynasty, a book was written to teach Tae Kwon Do as a martial art rather than a game. This step ended the monopoly which the military society exercised on subak and gave it to the public.

In the latter part of the Yi Dynasty, subk’s importance as a martial art declined, but it retained its popularity as recreation for the common people. The subsequent occupation of Korea by Japan during the early 1900’s saw an end of the Yi Dynasty and a temporary restriction of martial arts practice.

Twentieth Century

Between the period of Japanese occupation and the Korean War (i.e., form the turn of the century through 1950), the terminology for the Korean martial art changed several times. It was known as “kong soo” (empty hand), “tang soo” (tang hang), and “hwa soo” (hwarang hand) until the title Tae Kwon Do was officially adopted in 1955.

On May 16, 1961, the “Tae Soo Do Association” was formed to unite the various similar systems which existed in Korea at that time. On February 23, 1963, the Association joined the Korean Athletic Association and began to participate in national tournaments. By 1965, the name was changed again to the “Korean Tae Kwon Do Association” with Young Chai Kim as its elected president.

In 1970, the Board of Directors of the Tae Kwon Do Association elected Master Un Yong Kim as their next president. Since that time, his many efforts and contributions have helped Tae Kwon Do flourish and spread in popularity to become the national sport of Korea. Tae Kwon Do is now included as part of the school curriculum from the first grade through college and is a requisite for military training.

In 1972, Master Un Yong Kim was elected president of “Kuk-Ki-Won,” the National Central Gymnasium which was built in Seoul to train advanced students. Kuk-Ki-Won provides a testing center for black belt promotions, serves as a research center for the advancement of Tae Kwon Do as a scientific sport, and is used to hold national and international Tae Kwon Do championship tournaments.

In May 1973, the first World Tae Kwon Do Championship was held at Kuk-Ki-Won, Seoul, Korea, in which approximately 30 countries participated. In team competition, Korea won first place, United States won second place, and Mexico and the Republic of China tied for third place. The World Championship is held bi-annually.

Following the tournament, all the officials representing their country at the championship formed the World Tae Kwon Do Federation in May 1973 and voted Master Un Yong Kim as president.

At the present time in Korea, there are more than 2,000 Tae Kwon Do institutions, three million students actively training, and 300,000 black belts.

Tae Kwon Do was introduced to the United States during the latter part of the 1950’s and has since spread in popularity. In May 1972, Tae Kwon Do was officially recognized as a sport in the United States and was accepted as a member of the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union).

In 1988, Tae Kwon Do was introduced as a demonstration sport during the Olympics in Seoul, Korea.

In 1992, Tae Kwon Do became an official event in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.