General Choi Hong Hi (최홍희; 9 November 1918 – 15 June 2002) is recognised as the principal founder of Taekwon-Do. He was born in the Hwa Dae district of Myongchon County, in the mountainous north-east of a Korea then under Japanese colonial rule (the region lies in present-day North Korea).
As a frail and rebellious youth he was expelled from school for taking part in agitation against the Japanese authorities. His calligraphy teacher, Han Il Dong (한일동), was also a master of Taek Kyon — an ancient Korean foot-fighting art — and began teaching the boy this art partly to build up his weak body. In 1937 Choi travelled to Japan to continue his education. In Kyoto and later Tokyo he took up Karate, training in the Shotokan system associated with Funakoshi Gichin and reaching the rank of 2nd dan while studying at Chuo University.
During the Second World War Choi was conscripted into the Japanese Imperial Army and stationed in Pyongyang. There he became implicated in an independence movement among Korean student soldiers (the so-called Pyongyang Student Soldiers' Incident) and was imprisoned. He later said he passed his eight months in prison practising and teaching martial arts to his cellmates and even a warder; he narrowly escaped a death sentence when Korea was liberated in August 1945.
“Taekwon-Do is a martial art that has no equal in either power or technique. … It is a martial art for self-defence as well as a way of healthy life and a noble character.” — Gen. Choi Hong Hi
After liberation, Choi became one of the founding officers of the new South Korean army, commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1946 and rising over two decades to the rank of major general. He combined what he knew of Taek Kyon and Karate with his own study of the physics of motion, and used his military positions to teach and spread the developing art among soldiers — and to American servicemen stationed in Korea.
When Japanese rule ended in 1945, a number of independent martial-arts schools — called kwans (관, “gym” or “school”) — opened across Korea. Their founders had typically trained in Japanese Karate, Chinese arts or older Korean methods. The original kwans are usually counted as:
| Kwan | Founder | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Chung Do Kwan | Lee Won Kuk 이원국 | “Blue Wave School”; the largest early kwan. Choi held an honorary 4th dan from it. |
| Moo Duk Kwan | Hwang Kee 황기 | Parent of Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do lineages. |
| Song Moo Kwan | Ro Byung Jick 노병직 | Founded 1946 in Kaesong / Seoul. |
| Yun Moo Kwan / Jidokwan | Chun Sang Sup 전상섭 / Yoon Kwae Byung 윤쾌병 | Influential Seoul school. |
| YMCA Kwon Bup Bu / Changmookwan | Yoon Byung In 윤병인 | Brought Chinese-influenced technique. |
| Oh Do Kwan | Choi Hong Hi 최홍희 & Nam Tae Hi 남태희 | The “Gym of My Way”, founded in the military in 1954–55. The engine of Taekwon-Do's spread. |
Choi's Oh Do Kwan, established within the 29th Infantry Division, became the main driving force behind the new art, working closely with the civilian Chung Do Kwan. Choi spent much of his career trying to unite these rival kwans under one name and one system. He never fully succeeded, which is one reason Taekwon-Do later split into different branches.
On 11 April 1955, a specially convened board of masters, historians and prominent figures met to choose a single name for the unified art. Choi advocated “Taekwon-Do” — a name whose sound evokes the old Taek Kyon, yet clearly expresses foot (tae), hand (kwon) and the way (do). The name was adopted, a date now marked as the art's official birth.
The patterns (tul) were developed gradually, not all at once. Choi's 1959 Korean-language book and his 1965 English book Taekwon-Do: The Art of Self-Defence set out an early curriculum that contained around twenty patterns. The full set of 24 patterns — one for each hour of the day — was finalised later and published in the Encyclopedia. The pattern Ko-Dang was replaced by Juche in 1986, which is why some schools still teach Ko-Dang today.
From 1962 to 1964 General Choi served as the Republic of Korea's Ambassador to Malaysia. He used the posting to promote the art in South-East Asia, gave demonstrations, and is said to have continued composing and refining patterns during his time there.
When the ITF was founded in 1966, Malaysia was one of the founding member nations, alongside Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, West Germany, the United States, Turkey, Italy and the United Arab Republic (Egypt). Taekwon-Do was officially established in Malaysia and Singapore from the start.
As a result, Malaysia and Singapore have some of the oldest Taekwon-Do lineages outside Korea.
According to the ITF’s instructor-course history, Low Koon Lin was General Choi’s first Taekwon-Do student in Malaysia. He went on to teach and promote the art in Malaysia. Source: ITF instructor-course history.
Korean instructors also taught in the region: Rhee Chong Chul and Rhee Chong Hyup helped introduce the art to Malaysia and Singapore (as well as Hong Kong, Indonesia and Brunei); Choi Chang Keun taught in Malaysia before moving to Canada in 1969; and Rhee Ki Ha trained Royal Air Force personnel at RAF Changi, Singapore, in 1964.
Sources: Grand Master Low Koon Lin's obituary by his son, GM Low Ming Tuck (ITF, 21 December 2024); Wikipedia biographies of the Korean masters.
Key milestones in the development of the art and the International Taekwon-Do Federation.
Choi Hong Hi is born in Hwa Dae, Myongchon County, in Japanese-occupied Korea.
Choi studies in Kyoto and Tokyo, trains in Shotokan Karate to 2nd dan, and attends Chuo University.
Nam Tae Hi breaks 13 roof tiles with a punch before President Syngman Rhee, who orders martial-arts training for the armed forces.
Choi and Nam Tae Hi establish the Oh Do Kwan in the 29th Infantry Division — later honoured in the pattern Hwa-Rang.
A special board officially names the new art, unifying the kwans under a single name and philosophy.
Choi publishes the first Taekwon-Do book and leads a team to South Vietnam and Taiwan. The Korea Taekwon-Do Association is formed, with Choi as president.
Choi serves as ROK Ambassador to Malaysia, promoting the art across South-East Asia and continuing to develop patterns.
The first Malaysian Taekwon-Do exhibition team performs at Merdeka Stadium; the Malaysian Taekwon-Do Association is formed the same year.
Choi leads an official tour through West Germany, Italy, Turkey, the United Arab Republic (Egypt), Singapore and Malaysia, and publishes his English-language book.
The International Taekwon-Do Federation is established in Seoul with nine founding nations — Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, the USA, Turkey, Italy and the UAR (Egypt). Choi is its first President.
Amid political pressure at home, Choi relocates the ITF headquarters to Toronto, Canada.
A separate, Korea-based World Taekwondo Federation (now World Taekwondo, WT) is founded in Seoul, formalising the split between the ITF and the future Olympic branch.
The inaugural ITF World Championships are held in Montreal, Canada.
Choi leads the first ITF demonstration team to North Korea (DPRK), further straining his relations with the South Korean government.
Choi completes the definitive 15-volume Encyclopedia, codifying technique, theory and all 24 patterns.
The ITF establishes its headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
After demonstration appearances in 1988 and 1992, WTF taekwondo becomes a full medal sport at the Sydney Olympics — the ITF style remains outside the Olympic programme.
General Choi Hong Hi dies in Pyongyang.
After Choi's death the federation splits. Three main bodies each use the “ITF” name (see below).
At the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, WTF President Chungwon Choue and ITF President Chang Ung sign an IOC-witnessed protocol letting athletes compete in each other's events. Joint demonstrations follow in both Koreas in 2017–18.
There is no longer a single ITF. After General Choi's death in 2002, leadership disputes split the federation into three main organisations, each using the name “International Taekwon-Do Federation”:
All three teach the same 24 patterns, tenets and sine-wave motion, so a student from one will recognise the training in the others. Several smaller independent groups also teach the ITF curriculum.
ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) preserves the patterns, sine-wave motion and self-defence focus developed by General Choi, and spells the art Taekwon-Do. WT (World Taekwondo, formerly the WTF, founded 1973) is the sport-focused, Olympic branch, governed separately, using different forms (poomsae), different sparring rules and the spelling Taekwondo. This site focuses on the ITF tradition.
Before the famous 15-volume Encyclopedia (1983), Choi had already published Taekwon-Do books in 1959 (Korean) and 1965 (English) — and condensed one-volume editions followed for students.
The characteristic up-down “sine-wave” motion was formalised in the 1980s. Older film of the same patterns shows a flatter, more Karate-like execution — which is why styles differ between schools.
Choi's 1965 book taught around 20 patterns. The set grew to 24, and Ko-Dang was swapped for Juche only in 1986.
General Choi was a diplomat as well as a soldier. His time as ambassador to Malaysia (1962–64) helped Taekwon-Do take root in South-East Asia.
Grand Master Nam Tae Hi, co-founder of the Oh Do Kwan and a hero of the Korean War, is often called the “right hand” of Taekwon-Do's early development.
The Cold War division of Korea also divided Taekwon-Do, and the ITF has roots in both North and South.
Army instructors and a generation of young masters took the art abroad in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the early 1960s the Korea Taekwon-Do Association assembled twelve masters — later known as the Original Masters — to demonstrate and teach the art around the world: Choi Chang Keun (최창근), Choi Kwang Jo (최광조), Han Cha Kyo (한차교), Kim Jong Chan (김종찬), Kim Kwang Il, Kong Young Il (공영일), Park Jong Soo (박종수), Park Jung Tae (박정태), Park Sun Jae, Rhee Chong Chul (이종철), Rhee Chong Hyup (이종협) and Rhee Ki Ha (이기하).
The term “Original Masters” refers only to these twelve. The profiles below are a selection of people who shaped the teaching and organisation of ITF Taekwon-Do, in no particular order.
Served as ITF spokesperson, Merger Committee chairman and special assistant to General Choi. Choi promoted him to ninth dan in December 1997. He later founded the Unified ITF (UITF).
A former ITF Vice President and Secretary General, and member of the 1980 demonstration team. General Choi promoted him to ninth dan in December 1997. He was an influential figure in the development of ITF Taekwon-Do in the United States.
A founding member who served on several international ITF demonstration teams and as Vice President. He hosted the fourth World Championships and was promoted to ninth dan by General Choi in 2001.
Co-founded the Oh Do Kwan with General Choi. Known as the “Father of Vietnamese Taekwondo”, he moved to the United States in 1972 and taught in Chicago and later Los Angeles.
One of the first three masters of the army’s Taekwon-Do. He demonstrated in Vietnam in 1959 and took part in the 1965 goodwill tour around the world.
Taught throughout South-East Asia and introduced Taekwon-Do to Vietnam; he led the first ITF demonstration team in 1967–68.
Trained RAF personnel in Singapore in 1964 and arrived in London on 2 July 1967 — the “Father of British Taekwon-Do”. General Choi promoted him to 9th dan in 1997.
With Rhee Chong Hyup, helped introduce the art to Malaysia and Singapore, then founded Rhee Taekwon-Do in Adelaide, Australia, around 1965.
Taught in Malaysia and toured with General Choi’s demonstration teams; moved to Vancouver in 1969 and opened the city’s first Taekwon-Do school in 1970.
ITF Secretary General and chairman of its Instruction Committee, travelling the world as chief instructor.
Sources: ITF pioneers and ninth-dan promotions · Hwang Kwang Sung biography.