The History of Tae Kwon Do.The way of the foot & the fist

Tae Kwon Do is a traditional Korean martial art developed by General Choi Hong Hi. General Choi felt it was necessary for Koreans to develop a new martial art that was superior in spirit and technique. He began to develop new techniques after extensive research and experimentation.

On April 11, 1955, the foundation of a new martial art was given the name "Tae Kwon Do" and was proclaimed to the world as a completely valid and unique martial art having a basic Korean origin. In 1965, General Choi received approval from the South Korean government naming Tae Kwon Do as Korea's national martial art.

In 1968, General Choi founded the International Tae Kwon Do Federation in Seoul, Korea. With the founding of the Federation, General Choi's vision of establishing Tae Kwon Do as a worldwide, nonpolitical organization has come true. General Choi Hong Hi died in 2002.

Translated literally, "Tae" stands for foot, to kick or smash with the foot. "Kwon" denotes the fist, to punch or destroy with the hand or fist. "Do" means an art or way – the right way built and paved by the saints and sages of the past.