HISTORY OF TAE KWON-DO

General Choi Hong Hi

 

His beliefs and his vision of a different approach to teaching martial arts led General Choi to combine elements of Taek Kyon and Karate techniques to develop a modern martial art. He called it Tae kwon-Do, which means "The way of the feet and the hands", and this name was officially adopted on April 11th, 1955. The philosophical values and the goals of Tae kwon-Do are firmly rooted in the traditional moral culture of the Orient. On the technical side, defensive and offensive tactics are based on principles of physics.

 

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In 1959, General Choi was named President of the Korean TaeKwon-Do Association. 7 years later, on March 22nd, 1966, he created the International TaeKwon-Do Federation (ITF). As the Founder of TaeKwon-Do and President of the ITF, he had the ability to share his art, based on traditional values, philosophy and training, with students around the world. He believed and practiced the virtues of freedom, justice and righteousness. After a lifetime of dedication to TaeKwon-Do, Gen. Choi passed away on June 15th 2002.

Our remembrance and tribute to Great Grandmaster, General Choi Hong Hi.

 

The Korean Flag

The Korean flag is called Taegukki. Its design symbolizing the principles of yin and yang is from Asian philosophy. The circle in the centre of the flag is divided into two equal parts. The upper red section represents the positive cosmic forces of yang. Conversely, the lower blue section represents the negative cosmic forces of yin.

 

 

 

 

 

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The two forces together embody the concepts of continual movement, balance, and harmony that characterize the sphere of infinity. The circle is surrounded by four trigrams, one in each corner. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal elements. Heaven, Earth, Fire and Water.