Taekwondo History

Early in the 20th century, Won Kook Yi (Lee), a Tae Kyon (sic) student, traveled throughout the Orient, returning to Korea in 1940.  In 1941, he added techniques from other styles to Tae Kyon, and developed “Tae Su Do Chung Do Kwan”.  He retired in 1945, but before doing so, he named his successor as head of Chung Do Kwan, Grand Master Uoon Kyu Um.  Great Grand Master Yi is presently (1996) in retirement in the United States.  The Chung Do Kwan style was taught in secret in 1944, and in 1945, the Chung Do Kwan, the first Kwan to openly teach a native Korean Martial Art opened in Yung Chun, Seoul. In 1954, General Choi Hong Hi became “director” (Kwan Jang Nim) of Chung Do Kwan, then the largest civilian Kwan in Korea (45) and held that position for several years (46).

A different version of these events appeared in a recent issue of Tae Kwon do Times (47) which adds some details, but contradicts other seemingly reliable sources. According to this version, Grandmaster Lee opened his school with the tacit approval of the Japanese authorities on September 14, 1944.   Grand Master Lee trained students until 1950, when he had to leave Korea for Japan for “political” reasons. Duk Sung Son then became Kwan Jang Nim of Chung Do Kwan.  “A few years later” Duk Sung Son left Korea for the United States, and only then did Uoon Kyu Um become Kwan Jang Nim. Uoon Kyu Um is mentioned among the original students of Grand Master Lee and so is Jhoon Rhee but, in this version, there is no mention at all of General Choi Hong Hi.  The omission is incorrect and was made for political reasons.

Finally, yet another version emerged in a 1997 interview with Grand Master Lee (Yi, Yee) which also appeared in TKD Times. (48)  Born April 13, 1907, Grand Master Lee states that he was instructed in Tang Su Do (Shotokan Karate) when he attended a university in Japan in the 1920’s.  He identifies his instructor as “Sensei Hunagoshi, founder of GojuRhu Karate”. He has to mean Funakoshi Sensei, founder of Shotokan Karate, not Miyagi Sensei, founder of Goju Ryu. He taught Tang Su Do for the first time in Korea at Yung Shin School Gymnasium in Sa De Mun, Ok Chun Dong district in Seoul.  During the confused period following the defeat of Japan in 1945, Tang Su Do was associated with gang violence, so the government refused to allow any public facilities to teach Tang Su Do.  Grand Master Lee was forced to move and “this was the time when I established Chung Do Kwan at Tae Go temple (Tae Go Sa) in Sorul.”  He was then forced to move to Kwan Yung Kwan in Seoul.  Later he moved his Dojang to No. 80 Kyun Ji Dong district in Seoul.

After Grand Master Lee conducted a very successful demonstration at the YMCA Gym in Seoul, Tang Su Do again received government favor, but unfortunately, this involved pressure to support one political party.  Korea’s first President Syng Man Rhee requested that all Chung Do Kwan members apply for membership in the Korean Republican Party.  Grand Master Lee rejected the offer, and he was arrested and accused by the government of being the leader of a group of assassins.  Eventually released in 1950, he and his wife fled to Japan as political refugees. He served as Tae Kwon Do instructor to the US military for a period in the 60’s.  Grand Master Lee emigrated to USA in 1976.  In the interview, he states: “I am the founder of modern Tae Kwon Do in Korea.”

The major students named by Grand Master Lee in this interview were:

  • Un Kyu Um (Kukkiwon VP)
  • Choi Hung Hi (Founder of ITF)
  • Jae Chung Ko (Jae Chun Ko)
  • Chong Myung Hung (Hyun)
  • Chung Ki Paek (Wan Ki Paek)
  • Chong Lim Woo
  • Pong Seok Kim
  • Sang Hung Lee
  • Seok Kyu Kim
  • Jun Yoo Eung (Introduced TKD to North Korea)

In 1966, the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF) was formed by General Choi.  In 1967, the President of South Korea declared Tae Kwon Do a national sport.  In 1973, twenty countries formed the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) and made the Kukkiwon, a large building constructed by the Korean government for Tae Kwon Do study, administration, and competition, their headquarters. In 1974, the ITF had moved from Korea to establish its headquarters in Toronto.  In 1975, The WTF issued an announcement which dissolved all the Kwans, and issued each with a number in order to unite Tae Kwon Do as one world sport.  Supposedly, Chung Do Kwan officially died in Korea on that date.  In fact, dan certificates are still being issued from Korea under the Chung Do Kwan name.