TaeKwon-Do originated in Korea in the middle part of the 1900's.
The founder General Choi Hong Hi, learned Karate during the thirty six
year period that Japan was occupying Korea. When Korea was
liberated in 1945 General Choi was a founding member of the South
Korean Armed
Forces. In January of 1946, he was commissioned as a second
lieutenant in the Republic of Korea army and was a company commander in
the 4th infantry regiment. There, he began teaching Karate to his
soldiers as a part of both their physical and mental training. He
soon realized the need for the soldiers to have their own martial art,
unique to their country.
General Choi had previously been imprisoned in Japan. While he
was
held captive he told three of his comrades:
"The reason that our people suffer in this
way at the hands of the
japanese is that our ancestors failed to rule wisely. They exploited
the people and, in the end, lost the country to foreign
domination. If we ever regain our freedom and independence, let
us not become the rulers of the people. Instead, let us dedicate
ourselves to advising those who rule."
He believed this could be accomplished in part by spreading his new
Korean Martial Art
across the country.
TaeKwon-Do was officially given its name on April 11, 1955.
The spiritual side of TaeKwon-Do comes from the traditional, ethical
and moral principles of the orient as well as the personal philosophy
of
General Choi.
The physical side of TaeKwon-Do was derived from modern science,
especially Newtonian Physics. It also draws upon military tactics
of attack and defense.