"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to go to his class." Choi, Hong Hi Founder of Taekwon-Do |
Choi Hong Hi (November 9, 1918 - June 15, 2002) was a South
Korean army general and the founder of Taekwon-do. As a retired
Major-General, he was his country's first ambassador to Malaysia.
He later fled the country and eventually settled in Canada and North
Korea for the rest of his life. General Choi was born in what was to
be North Korea during the Japanese Colonial Period and died in
P'yongyang, the North Korean capital. During his adult life, however,
Choi lived in Japan, South Korea, and Canada gaining the rank of
Major-General during his career in the South Korean army. When
written in combination with ones name, the military title General
refers to a particular rank, that represented in the US and ROK
armies by four stars worn on the collar. Choi, Hong Hi never held
this rank; neither in the Army of the Republic of Korea, nor in any
other army. The rank of general does refer to a four star general.
They are also addressed as general. So in this case the rank and
title are the same. However, a one star (brigadier) general, two star
(major) general and three star (Lt. General) are all properly referred
to as general. So the title to any general, regardless of stars is
simply general. That is standard military protocol for the US and
ROK Army. Choi did serve in the Korean army. He was a general
officer. As a Brigadier, (wearing one star) Choi served as the Chief
of Staff to General Paik Sun Yup, the first Korean officer to achieve
four-star rank in that army. He was also a Major General, two stars.
From the public record, it appears that, as an officer in the army of a
nation fighting a terrible war on their own soil, Mister Choi never
held a combat command nor ever performed duties which would
have placed him in harms way as a soldier. Choi did go on to
command an infantry division before retiring, but it was a training
division, and stationed on an off-shore island. As a boy he was
educated in Korea under the Japanese occupation of the Korean
peninsula. At that time, many of the traditions of the Korean people
were suppressed by the Japanese, including the country's ancient
martial arts, which were and still are renowned for the dynamic
kicking techniques that are taught in them. Choi Hong Hi claims he
was trained in the Korean martial art of Taekyon in secret. However,
the Korea Taekyon Association states these claims were false.
When he became older he went to Japan to study at university,
there he claimed to have trained in Shotokan Karate and achieved
the rank of black belt within two years of training, however, all the
Kwan leaders who trained at the universities in Japan, never saw
him, and the Japanese masters did not know of him. He used NAM,
Tae Hi to combine aspects of karate with aspects of the ancient
Korean martial arts to create Oh Do Kwan. General Choi Hong Hi
Dakin BurdickFridayAugust 9, 2002The GuardianGeneral Choi
Hong-hi, who has died aged 83 of stomach cancer, was a prime
mover in the development of the Korean martial art of Taekwon-do:
he helped to shape it, name it and spread it to 123 nations, often
through personal visits. His title derived from a career that took him
to the rank of major general in the South Korean army. Choi's
martial arts achievements were threefold. First, in 1952 he brought
about the adoption of training in martial arts as an aid to South
Korean military conditioning. Secondly, he supported the
development of Korean karate, given the name Taekwon-do in 1955,
which he believed was superior in both spirit and technique to
Japanese karate. Lastly, he and his students spread Taekwon-do
across the globe, and saw it become a medal sport in Sydney at the
2000 Olympics. Korean practitioners argued over a number of
names for the form of Korean karate unified during the 1950s and
60s, but Choi won acceptance for Taekwon-do, and in 1966 founded
the International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF).For the rest of his
life, he led demonstration tours all over the world. His first manual
in English, Taekwon-Do (1965), eventually led to the publication of
an entire encyclopedia on the art in 1985.Born in what is now North
Korea when it was under Japanese occupation, Choi fled to Japan
to complete his education after a wrestler was set on his trail
following a gambling dispute. In 1942, he was drafted into the
Japanese army, but was imprisoned for attempting to escape to join
the opposition Korean Liberation Army in 1945. Only the liberation
of Korea saved him from the death penalty. After the war, the
division of Korea between north and south left him unable to return
to the land of his birth. He rose quickly in the new South Korean
army, and, two years after the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950,
he created an officer training program and an infantry division that
provided Taekwon-do instructors. After the cessation of hostilities
in 1953, his rise continued, and in 1961 he supported the military
coup d'etat, but suffered a setback when General Park Chung-Hee
emerged as the new president. In the late 1940s, Park had received
a death sentence, later rescinded, from a military panel that had
included Choi, who was thus forced to retire from the military
following the coup. In 1962, he was sent to Malaysia as ambassador,
but after his return to South Korea in 1965 he continued to find life
under the Park regime so intolerable that in 1972 he left for Canada.
Choi took the headquarters of the ITF to Toronto with him, and
South Korea responded by forming a new organization, the World
Taekwon-do Federation (WTF), based in Seoul. Choi's final years
were marked by his efforts to return to North Korea. He introduced
Taekwon-do there in 1980, and won further favor with the
government by changing the name of one solo practice form from
kodang (after a North Korean democratic Christian moderate,
presumed slain by the Red Army in 1946) to Juche (after the
isolationist policy of self-reliance advocated by North Korean leader
Kim Il-Sung). Though Choi's intention had been reconciliatory,
unfortunately South Korea saw it as treasonous. Shortly before his
death in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, Choi was able to
announce through the ITF website, I am the man who has the most
followers in the world: be that as it may, the impact of Taekwon-do,
with 50m practitioners after 50 years of existence, is undeniable.
Choi leaves his wife, two daughters and a son. Choi Hong-Hi, martial
arts expert, born November 9 1918; died June 15 2002
Korean army general and the founder of Taekwon-do. As a retired
Major-General, he was his country's first ambassador to Malaysia.
He later fled the country and eventually settled in Canada and North
Korea for the rest of his life. General Choi was born in what was to
be North Korea during the Japanese Colonial Period and died in
P'yongyang, the North Korean capital. During his adult life, however,
Choi lived in Japan, South Korea, and Canada gaining the rank of
Major-General during his career in the South Korean army. When
written in combination with ones name, the military title General
refers to a particular rank, that represented in the US and ROK
armies by four stars worn on the collar. Choi, Hong Hi never held
this rank; neither in the Army of the Republic of Korea, nor in any
other army. The rank of general does refer to a four star general.
They are also addressed as general. So in this case the rank and
title are the same. However, a one star (brigadier) general, two star
(major) general and three star (Lt. General) are all properly referred
to as general. So the title to any general, regardless of stars is
simply general. That is standard military protocol for the US and
ROK Army. Choi did serve in the Korean army. He was a general
officer. As a Brigadier, (wearing one star) Choi served as the Chief
of Staff to General Paik Sun Yup, the first Korean officer to achieve
four-star rank in that army. He was also a Major General, two stars.
From the public record, it appears that, as an officer in the army of a
nation fighting a terrible war on their own soil, Mister Choi never
held a combat command nor ever performed duties which would
have placed him in harms way as a soldier. Choi did go on to
command an infantry division before retiring, but it was a training
division, and stationed on an off-shore island. As a boy he was
educated in Korea under the Japanese occupation of the Korean
peninsula. At that time, many of the traditions of the Korean people
were suppressed by the Japanese, including the country's ancient
martial arts, which were and still are renowned for the dynamic
kicking techniques that are taught in them. Choi Hong Hi claims he
was trained in the Korean martial art of Taekyon in secret. However,
the Korea Taekyon Association states these claims were false.
When he became older he went to Japan to study at university,
there he claimed to have trained in Shotokan Karate and achieved
the rank of black belt within two years of training, however, all the
Kwan leaders who trained at the universities in Japan, never saw
him, and the Japanese masters did not know of him. He used NAM,
Tae Hi to combine aspects of karate with aspects of the ancient
Korean martial arts to create Oh Do Kwan. General Choi Hong Hi
Dakin BurdickFridayAugust 9, 2002The GuardianGeneral Choi
Hong-hi, who has died aged 83 of stomach cancer, was a prime
mover in the development of the Korean martial art of Taekwon-do:
he helped to shape it, name it and spread it to 123 nations, often
through personal visits. His title derived from a career that took him
to the rank of major general in the South Korean army. Choi's
martial arts achievements were threefold. First, in 1952 he brought
about the adoption of training in martial arts as an aid to South
Korean military conditioning. Secondly, he supported the
development of Korean karate, given the name Taekwon-do in 1955,
which he believed was superior in both spirit and technique to
Japanese karate. Lastly, he and his students spread Taekwon-do
across the globe, and saw it become a medal sport in Sydney at the
2000 Olympics. Korean practitioners argued over a number of
names for the form of Korean karate unified during the 1950s and
60s, but Choi won acceptance for Taekwon-do, and in 1966 founded
the International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF).For the rest of his
life, he led demonstration tours all over the world. His first manual
in English, Taekwon-Do (1965), eventually led to the publication of
an entire encyclopedia on the art in 1985.Born in what is now North
Korea when it was under Japanese occupation, Choi fled to Japan
to complete his education after a wrestler was set on his trail
following a gambling dispute. In 1942, he was drafted into the
Japanese army, but was imprisoned for attempting to escape to join
the opposition Korean Liberation Army in 1945. Only the liberation
of Korea saved him from the death penalty. After the war, the
division of Korea between north and south left him unable to return
to the land of his birth. He rose quickly in the new South Korean
army, and, two years after the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950,
he created an officer training program and an infantry division that
provided Taekwon-do instructors. After the cessation of hostilities
in 1953, his rise continued, and in 1961 he supported the military
coup d'etat, but suffered a setback when General Park Chung-Hee
emerged as the new president. In the late 1940s, Park had received
a death sentence, later rescinded, from a military panel that had
included Choi, who was thus forced to retire from the military
following the coup. In 1962, he was sent to Malaysia as ambassador,
but after his return to South Korea in 1965 he continued to find life
under the Park regime so intolerable that in 1972 he left for Canada.
Choi took the headquarters of the ITF to Toronto with him, and
South Korea responded by forming a new organization, the World
Taekwon-do Federation (WTF), based in Seoul. Choi's final years
were marked by his efforts to return to North Korea. He introduced
Taekwon-do there in 1980, and won further favor with the
government by changing the name of one solo practice form from
kodang (after a North Korean democratic Christian moderate,
presumed slain by the Red Army in 1946) to Juche (after the
isolationist policy of self-reliance advocated by North Korean leader
Kim Il-Sung). Though Choi's intention had been reconciliatory,
unfortunately South Korea saw it as treasonous. Shortly before his
death in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, Choi was able to
announce through the ITF website, I am the man who has the most
followers in the world: be that as it may, the impact of Taekwon-do,
with 50m practitioners after 50 years of existence, is undeniable.
Choi leaves his wife, two daughters and a son. Choi Hong-Hi, martial
arts expert, born November 9 1918; died June 15 2002
International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) was founded in 1966 by
Major General Choi Hong Hi six years before his exile from South
Korea in 1972 and seven years before the WTF. His first visit of
good will to North Korea was in 1980, when he introduced
Taekwon-Do there. It is one the two major international
Taekwon-Do organisations. General Choi was the primary figure in
the development of Taekwon-Do during the 20th century and
headed meetings with the senior Taekwon-Do masters to unify
the Korean martial arts schools under the name Taekwon-Do. He is
also responsible for providing Taekwon-Do with its name which
was agreed upon on April 11th, 1955. He is acknowledged by
practitioners of ITF Taekwon-Do as the founder and father of
Taekwon-Do.
Major General Choi Hong Hi six years before his exile from South
Korea in 1972 and seven years before the WTF. His first visit of
good will to North Korea was in 1980, when he introduced
Taekwon-Do there. It is one the two major international
Taekwon-Do organisations. General Choi was the primary figure in
the development of Taekwon-Do during the 20th century and
headed meetings with the senior Taekwon-Do masters to unify
the Korean martial arts schools under the name Taekwon-Do. He is
also responsible for providing Taekwon-Do with its name which
was agreed upon on April 11th, 1955. He is acknowledged by
practitioners of ITF Taekwon-Do as the founder and father of
Taekwon-Do.
General Choi Hong Hi was born on November 9th, 1918 in the rugged and harsh area
of Hwa Dae, Myong Chun District in what is now D.P.R of Korea. In his youth, he was
frail and quite sickly, a constant source of worry for his parents.
Even at an early age, however, the future general showed a strong and independent
spirit. At the age of twelve he was expelled from school for agitating against the
Japanese authorities who were in control of Korea. This was the beginning of what
would be a long association with the Kwang Ju Students’ Independence Movement.
After his expulsion, young Choi’s father sent him to study calligraphy under one of the
most famous teachers in Korea, Mr. Han II Dong. Han, in addition to his skills as a
calligrapher, was also a master of Taek Kyon, the ancient Korean art of foot fighting.
The teacher, concerned over the frail condition of his new student, began teaching
him the rigorous exercises of Taek Kyon to help build up his body.
In 1937, Choi was sent to Japan to further his education. Shortly before leaving ,
however, the youth had the misfortune to engage in a rather heated argument with a
massive professional wrestler who promised to literally tear the youth limb from limb
at their next encounter. This threat seemed to give a new impetus to young Choi’s
training in the martial arts.
In Kyoto, Choi met a fellow Korean, Mr. Him, who was engaged in teaching the
Japanese martial art, Karate. With two years of concentrated training, Choi attained
the rank of first degree black belt. These techniques, together with Taek Kyon (foot
techniques), were the forerunners of modern Taekwon-Do.
There followed a period of both mental and physical training, preparatory school, high
school, and finally the University in Tokyo. During this time, training and
experimentation in his new fighting techniques were intensified until, with attainment
of his second degree black belt, he began teaching at a YMCA in Tokyo, Japan.
Choi recounts a particular experience from this period of time. There was no lamp-
post in the city that he didn't strike or kick to see if the copper wires ahead were
vibrating in protest.
"I would imagine that these were the techniques I would use to defend myself against
the wrestler, Mr. Hu if he did attempt to carry out his promise to tear me limb from
limb when I eventually returned to Korea."
With the outbreak of World War II, the author was forced to enlist in the Japanese
army through no volition of his own. While at his post in Pyongyang, North Korea, the
author was implicated as the planner of the Korean Independence Movement and
interned at a Japanese prison during his eight month pretrial examination.
While in prison, to alleviate the boredom and keep physically fit, Choi began practicing
this art in the solitude of his cell. In a short time, his cellmate and jailer became
students of his. Eventually, the whole prison courtyard became one gigantic
gymnasium.
The liberation in August 1945 spared Choi from an imposed seven year prison
sentence. Following his release, the ex-prisoner journeyed to Seoul where he
organized a student soldier’s party. In January of the following year, Choi was
commissioned as a second lieutenant in the new south Korean army, the "Launching
Pad" for putting Taekwon-Do into a new orbit.
Soon after, he made company commander in Kwang-Ju where the young second
lieutenant lighted the torch of this art by teaching his entire company and was then
promoted to first lieutenant and transferred to Tae Jon in charge of the Second
Infantry Regiment. While at his new post, Choi began spreading the art not only to
Korean soldiers but also to the Americans stationed there. This was the first
introduction to Americans of what would eventually become known as Taekwon-Do.
1947 was a year of fast promotion. Choi was promoted to captain and then major. In
1948, he was posted to Seoul as the head of logistics and became Taekwon-Do
instructor for the American Military Police School there. In late 1948, Choi became a
lieutenant colonel.
In 1949, Choi was promoted to full colonel and visited the United States for the first
time, attending the Fort Riley Ground General School. While there, this art was
introduced to the American public. And in 1951, brigadier general. During this time, he
organized the Ground General School in Pusan as Assistant Commandant and Chief of
the Academic Department. Choi was appointed as Chief of Staff of the First Corps in
1952 and was responsible for briefing General MacArthur during the latter’s visits to
Kang Nung. At the time of armistice, Choi was in command of the 5th Infantry Division.
The year 1953 was an eventful one for the General, in both his military career and in
the progress of the new martial art. He became the author of the first authoritative
book on military intelligence in Korea. He organized and activated the crack 29th
Infantry Division at Cheju Island, which eventually became the spearhead of Taekwon-
Do in the military and established the Oh Do Kwan (Gym of My Way) where he
succeeded not only in training the cadre instructors for the entire military but also
developing the Taek Kyon and Karate techniques into a modern system of Taekwon-
Do, with the help of Mr. Nam Tae Hi, his right hand man in 1954.
In the latter part of that year, he commanded Chong Do Kwan (Gym of the Blue Wave),
the largest civilian gym in Korea; Choi was also promoted to major general.
Technically, 1955 signaled the beginning of Taekwon-Do as a formally recognized art
in Korea. During that year, a special board was formed which included leading master
instructors, historians, and prominent leaders of society. A number of names for the
new martial art were submitted. On the 11th of April, the board summoned by Gen.
Choi, decided on the name of Taekwon-Do which had been submitted by him. This
single unified name of Taekwon-Do replaced the different and confusing terms; Dang
Soo, Gong Soo, Taek Kyon, Kwon Bup, etc.
In 1959, Taekwon-Do spread beyond its national boundaries. The father of Taekwon-
Do and nineteen of his top black belt holders toured the Far East. The tour was a
major success, astounding all spectators with the excellence of the Taekwon-Do
techniques. Many of these black belt holders such as Nam Tae Hi, President of the
Asia Taekwon-Do Federation; Colonel Ko Jae Chun, the 5th Chief of Taekwon-Do
instructors in Vietnam; Colonel Baek Joon Gi, the 2nd Chief instructor in Vietnam;
Brigadier Gen. Woo Jong Lim; Mr. Han Cha Kyo, the Head Instructor in Singapore and
Mr. Cha Soo Young, presently an international instructor in Washington D.C. eventually
went on to spread the art to the world.
In this year, Choi was elevated to two illustrious posts; President of his newly formed
Korea Taekwon-Do Association and deputy commander of the 2nd Army in Tae Gu.
The Korean Ambassador to Vietnam, General Choi Duk Shin was instrumental in
helping to promote Taekwon-Do in this nation locked in a death struggle with the
communists. That same year General Choi Hong Hi published his first Korean text on
Taekwon-Do which became the model for the 1965 edition.
In the year of 1960, the General attended the Modern Weapons Familiarization Course
in Texas followed by a visit to Jhoon Rhees Karate Club in San Antonio, where the
author convinced the students to use the name Taekwon-Do instead of Karate. Thus
Jhoon Rhee is known as the first Taekwon-Do instructor in America.
This marked the beginning of Taekwon-Do in the United States of America.
Choi returned to Korea as the Director of Intelligence of the Korean Army. Later that
same year, he assumed command of the Combat Armed Command with direction of
the infantry, artillery, armored, signal and aviation schools.
The Year 1961, incidentally, was the year of maturation for both Choi’s military career
and Taekwon-Do, with the command of the largest training centers in Korea and the
newly assigned command of the 6th Army Corps.
Taekwon-Do spread like wildfire, not only to the Korean civilian and military population
but to the U.S. soldiers of the 7th Infantry Division which was under his operational
control. Through his students, Taekwon-Do was even introduced to the greatest
military academy in the world. West Point, In the same year, he also made Taekwon-
Do a compulsory subject for the entire armed and police forces in south Korea.
1962, Choi was appointed as Ambassador to Malaysia, where, as a dedicated
missionary of Taekwon-Do, the art was spread. In 1963, the Taekwon-Do Association
of Malaysia was formed and reached national acceptance when the art was
demonstrated at the Merdeka Stadium at the request of the Prime Minister, Tunku
Abdul Rhaman.
The same year, two important milestones took place; the famous demonstration at
the United Nations building in New York, and the introduction of Taekwon-Do to the
Armed Forces of Vietnam under Major Nam Tae Hi, In February of the following year, a
Taekwon-Do Association was formed in Singapore, and the groundwork was laid for
forming associations in the outer reaches of Brunei.
The same year, Ambassador Choi made a trip to Vietnam with the sole purpose of
teaching the advanced Taekwon-Do patterns that he perfected after years of
research to the instructors group headed by Lt. Col. Park Joon Gi, in person. This was
indeed a new era for Taekwon-Do in that he was able to draw a clear line between
Taekwon-Do and Karate by completely eliminating the remaining vestige of Karate.
Late this year, he was re-elected to be the President of the Korea Taekwon-Do
Association upon returning home, which gave him a chance to purify the Taekwon-Do
society by cleaning up the political circles within its organization.
In 1965 Ambassador Choi, retired two star general, was appointed by the Government
of the Republic of Korea to lead a goodwill mission to West Germany, Italy, Turkey,
United-Arab Republic, Malaysia, and Singapore. This trip is significant in that the
Ambassador, for the first time in Korean history, declared Taekwon-Do as the national
martial art of Korea.
This was the basis not only for establishing Taekwon-Do Associations in these
countries but also the formation of the International Taekwon-Do Federation as it is
known today. In 1966, the dream of the sickly young student of calligraphy, who rose
to Ambassador and the Association President of the most respected martial art in the
world came true. On the 22nd of March, the International Taekwon-Do Federation was
formed with associations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, the United
States, Turkey, Italy, Arab Republic of Egypt and Korea.
In 1967, the father of Taekwon-Do received the first Class Distinguished Service
medal from the Government of Vietnam and he helped to form the Korea-Vietnam
Taekwon-Do Foundation, presided by Gen. Tran van Dong. That same year the Hong
Kong Taekwon-Do Association was formed. In August, Choi visited the All American
Taekwon-Do tournament held in Chicago, Illinois, where he discussed expansion,
unification, and the policy of the United States Taekwon-Do Association with leading
instructors. This visit led to the formal establishment of the U.S. Taekwon-Do
Association in Washington, D.C. on November 26th, 1967.
During his visit, Choi also met with Robert Walson, fourth degree black belt and one of
the foremost American authorities on Taekwon-Do, to lay the ground work for a new
edition of a book on Taekwon-Do.
In late 1967, the author invited Master Oyama to the I.T.F. Headquarters in Seoul to
continue the discussion they had earlier at Hakone, Japan, whereby Master Oyama
would eventually change his techniques to that of Taekwon-Do.
In that same year, the President of the I.T.F. selected five instructors from the Armed
Forces for Taiwan, at the request of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek. This request
was channeled through General Chung II Kwon, then the Prime Minister of South
Korea.
In 1968, the author visited France, as the chief delegate of the Korean Government, to
attend the Consul International Sports Military Symposium held in Paris. Taekwon-Do
was a major topic on the agenda. Delegates from 32 countries witnessed
demonstrations of Taekwon-Do by a team of experts. That same year, the United
Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association was formed and the author visited Spain, the
Netherlands, Canada, Belgium and India with the hope of spreading Taekwon-Do.
When Choi returned to Korea he was presented with the first Sports Research Award
from south Korea for his dedicated work on behalf of the Korean martial art.
In 1969, Choi toured Southeast Asia to personally investigate the preparations of each
country for the First Asian Taekwon-Do Tournament that was held in September in
Hong Kong. Immediately after the tournament, the author undertook a worldwide tour
of twenty-nine countries to visit instructors and gather photographs for the first
edition of his previous book "Taekwon-Do". (copyright 1972)
August 1970, the author left for a tour of twenty countries throughout Southeast Asia,
Canada, Europe and the Middle East. Choi, of course, held seminars for international
instructors every place he went and helped spread and weld the International
Taekwon-Do Federation into a cohesive force.
In March 1971, Choi attended the Second Asian Taekwon-Do Tournament, held at
Stadium Negara in Malaysia, which was opened with the declaration of Tun Abdul
Rhajak, the Prime Minister, and closed with the presence of their Majesties.
Also in this year, the author was asked by Gen. Kim Jong Hyun, head of the Army
Martial Art department, to select qualified instructors for the Republic of Iran Armed
Forces.
The world tour of 1972 was quite retrospective in that Choi had an opportunity to
introduce Taekwon-Do to those heads of state of Bolivia, Dominica, Haiti and
Guatemala respectively.
In this year, Choi moved the headquarters of International Taekwon-Do Federation,
with the unanimous consent of member countries, to Toronto, Canada, envisaging to
spread this art eventually to the countries of Eastern Europe, according to the
milestone he set up years before.
During these travels, the author has been especially interested in promoting Taekwon-
Do among the youth of the world. The President of the International Taekwon-Do
Federation has been instrumental in introducing the art to numerous universities in
Europe, America, the Middle East and the Far East.
During the months of November and December 1973, General Choi and a specially
selected I.T.F. Demonstration Team, consisting of Kong Young II, Park Jong Soo, Rhee
Ki Ha, Pak Sun Jae and Choi Chang Keun, all 7th degree black belts, toured Europe,
the Middle East, Africa and the Far East. A total of 13 countries were visited and new I.
T.F. branches established in 5 of these countries. The tour was an overwhelming
success with a total of more than 100,000 people watching the demonstrations in
Egypt alone. At each stop, general Choi and the Demonstration Team were hosted by
ranking representatives of the local governments.
1974 was indeed an exuberant and long remembered year for Choi, because the
founder of Taekwon-Do was not only able to proudly present the superiority of
techniques as well as the competition rules of this art, but also to bring his dream into
reality by holding the first World Taekwon-Do Championships in Montreal.
In November and December of this year, he led the 4th International Taekwon-Do
Demonstration Team consisting of 10 of the world’s top instructors to Jamaica,
Curacao, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela and Surinam.
In 1975, Taekwon-Do alone had the privilege to demonstrate at the Sydney opera
house for the first time since its opening. General Choi visited Greece and Sweden to
conduct seminars later in this year. In the middle of 1976 he toured Iran, Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Europe to inspect Taekwon-Do activities, giving seminars at the same
time. In November of the same year, Choi went to Holland to declare the opening of the
First European Taekwon-Do Championships held in Amsterdam.
September 1977, the founder of Taekwon-Do visited Malaysia, New Zealand and
Australia following the Tokyo meeting in which he publicly denounced the South
Korean President Park Jung Hee who had been using Taekwon-Do for his political
ends. Later that year he visited Sweden and Denmark to aid in the formation of their
National Associations of Taekwon-Do.
In May of 1978, General Choi toured Malaysia, Pakistan, Kenya and South Africa
accompanied by Rhee Ki Ha. In this year he led the 5th International Taekwon-Do
Demonstration Team consisting of Choi Chang Keun, Rhee Ki Ha, Park Jung Tae and
Liong Wai Meng to Sweden, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia. In September of the
same year the Second World Taekwon-Do Championships was held in Oklahoma City,
U.S.A.
In June 1979, the All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation was formed in Oslo, Norway.
After this historic event General Choi toured Sweden, Denmark, West Germany,
France and Greenland accompanied by Khang Su Jong and Rhee Ki Ha. In November
of that year he led the 6th International Taekwon-Do demonstration team consisting of
Kim Jong Chan, Choi Chang Keun, Rhee Ki Ha, Park Jung Tae, Lee Jong Moon, Chung
Kwang Duk, Kim Suk Jun and Michael Cormack to Argentina.
The year 1980 was indeed an unforgettable one for the father of Taekwon-Do, both for
himself and the future of his art. He and 15 of his students, including his son Choi
Joong Hwa, made a monumental trip to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
This was the first time Taekwon-Do was introduced to the people of North Korea, Choi’
s birth place. In November of this same year, the first All Europe Taekwon-Do
Championships was held in London with 18 countries participating.
In January of 1981, Gen. Choi made a visit to Queensland, Australia, accompanied by
Choi Chang Keun, to declare, open the first Pacific Area Taekwon-Do Championships.
At this time he helped to form the South Pacific Taekwon-Do Federation as well as the
Australian Taekwon-Do Federation.
In June of the same year, the author led the 8th International Taekwon-Do
Demonstration Team to Tokyo, Japan. In October, he conducted a seminar for the
founding members of Taekwon-Do in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and
in November he proudly presented the unified Taekwon-Do demonstration team
consisting of North and South Korean instructors to the historic meeting called North
and Overseas Korean Christian Leaders, held in Vienna, Austria. In August, President
Choi visited Argentina to declare the opening of the Third World Taekwon-Do
Championships held in Resitancia, Chaco.
In January 1982 the President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation formed the
North America Taekwon-Do Federation in Toronto, Canada. In this year, the author
was finally able to realize his long anticipated dream (since 1967) when a Taekwon-
Do gym opened for the first time in Japan under the auspices of patriot Chon Jin Shik.
It was indeed a very busy year for the President in that he visited Puerto Rico in July
accompanied by Master Park Jung Tae, to conduct seminars.
During the months of October and November he toured Greenland, the United
Kingdom, West Germany, Austria, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia,
Czechoslovakia and Finland, accompanied by Master Han Sam Soo, Park Jung Taek
and Choi Joong Hwa to promote Taekwon-Do. He also attended the First
Intercontinental Taekwon-Do Championships held in December in Naples, Italy.
In October of the same year Gen. Choi met with Mr. Csandi, the Chairman of
programming committee of I.O.C. in Budapest, Hungary to discuss the recognition of I.
T.F. by the I.O.C. In January 1983, General Choi made a visit to Colorado, U.S.A
accompanied by Master Lee Suk Hi, the President of North America Taekwon-Do
Federation, to grade Charles E.Sereff, the President of the U.S. Taekwon-Do
Federation, for 7th degree.
In February 1983, the author toured Latin America including Argentina, Columbia,
Panama and Honduras to conduct a full scale seminar. During his stay in Honduras he
helped to activate the Central American Taekwon-Do Federation. During the months of
March, April and May he toured Santa Barbara, California, Europe and the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea to conduct last minute preparation of the encyclopedia,
the last product of his life-long research.
In October and November of the same year, he made a visit to Yugoslavia and Italy
accompanied by Park Jung Taek and Choi Joong Hwa to prepare photographs to be
used for the Encyclopedia. In April 1984, President Choi declared the opening of the
Fourth World Taekwon-Do Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland. In the same
month, he visited Mr. Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic
Committee, in Lausanne accompanied by Master Rhee Ki Ha, Charles Sereff and Kim
Yong Kyu to prove that only the International Taekwon-Do Federation is the world
governing body of true Taekwon-Do.
In September the author invited key instructors such as Lee Suk Hi, Rhee Ki Ha, Park
Jung Tae and Choi Joong Hwa to Pyongyang to finalize the publication of the
Encyclopedia. In fact, this was the time when the relocation of the I.T.F. to Vienna,
Austria was seriously discussed.
In October of the same year, the President made an official visit to Budapest, Hungary
to declare the opening of the 3rd All Europe Taekwon-Do Championships. This indeed
was of particular importance as it was the first large scale international event held in
a socialist country as far as the Taekwon-Do tournament is concerned.
In the following month, General Choi visited New York City along with masters Lee Suk
Hi and Park Jung Tae to declare open the 3rd annual General Choi’s Cup in North
America. In December the 5th I.T.F Congress meeting was held in Vienna, where it
was unanimously decided to relocate the I.T.F. here by March of the next year. Also at
the meeting, President Choi Hong Hi was re-elected for another term. Mr. Jun Chin
Shik, the President of Japan International Taekwon-Do Federation, masters Lee Suk
Hi and Rhee Ki Ha were elected as Vice Presidents with master Park Jung Tae as
Secretary-General.
Without doubt, 1985 was one of the most significant years for the founder of Taekwon-
Do as he was able to document all of the techniques he had researched for years by
publishing the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do. He was also able to establish a strong
foundation for the spreading of his art to the entire world, especially the socialist as
well as the Third World countries by moving the International Taekwon-Do Federation
to Vienna, the capital city of Austria.
In April of this year, President Choi visited Puerto Rico accompanied by Tran Trien
Quan, the President of the Canadian Taekwon-Do Federation, James Limand Kim Suk
Jun to attend the 1st Latin American General Choi’s Cup. In June, he visited East
Berlin to attend the opening ceremony of the 24th I.O.C. Congress.
In November of the same year, Gen. Choi, accompanied by Secretary-General Master
Park Jung Tae and Tran Trien Quan, visited Norway to honour the opening of the 1985
Scandinavian Taekwon-Do Championships.
In December, various festivals celebrating the 30th anniversary of Taekwon-Do was
held in Quebec, Canada sponsored by the Taekwon-Do Federation of Canada were
highlighted with the presence of the Father of Taekwon-Do, Gen. Choi Hong Hi.
In June 1986 the founder took DPRK Taekwon-Do demonstration team to the People’s
Republic of China. This visit eventually became the motivation for the Chinese people
to adopt the Korean martial art, Taekwon-Do.
1987 was a significant year for General Choi because he showed once again the
indomitable spirit as well as perseverance to the Taekwon-Do world by declaring the
5th World Championship in May in Athens, Greece, despite persistent interference of
the South Korean dictatorial regime.
In December of the same year, president Choi began to formulate the Promotion and
Popularization Foundation of ITF boosted by the pledge given by Mr. Chon Yon Shik, the
elder brother of senior vice-president Mr. Chon Jin Shik, in the amount of 100,000,000
Japanese Yen.
The year 1988 was culminated by two important events. In May, the Hungarian
government hosted the 6th World Championships in Budapest which was by far, the
largest in scale, finest in technique and also for the first time, televised via satellite
throughout Europe.
In August, the Father of Taekwon-Do was at last able to realize his ultimate dream of
introducing and teaching his art without regard to religion, race, national or
ideological boundaries, by leading the I.T.F. demonstration team to Moscow, U.S.S.R.
It is hoped that all instructors will follow his example by devoting part of their time
towards introducing the art into the school systems in their respective areas.
Merely introducing the art, however, is not enough. The instructor must also concern
himself with imbuing and maintaining a positive influence that will eventually serve as
a guiding light to all students. Then and only then, can the instructor consider himself
an apostle of Taekwon-Do.
of Hwa Dae, Myong Chun District in what is now D.P.R of Korea. In his youth, he was
frail and quite sickly, a constant source of worry for his parents.
Even at an early age, however, the future general showed a strong and independent
spirit. At the age of twelve he was expelled from school for agitating against the
Japanese authorities who were in control of Korea. This was the beginning of what
would be a long association with the Kwang Ju Students’ Independence Movement.
After his expulsion, young Choi’s father sent him to study calligraphy under one of the
most famous teachers in Korea, Mr. Han II Dong. Han, in addition to his skills as a
calligrapher, was also a master of Taek Kyon, the ancient Korean art of foot fighting.
The teacher, concerned over the frail condition of his new student, began teaching
him the rigorous exercises of Taek Kyon to help build up his body.
In 1937, Choi was sent to Japan to further his education. Shortly before leaving ,
however, the youth had the misfortune to engage in a rather heated argument with a
massive professional wrestler who promised to literally tear the youth limb from limb
at their next encounter. This threat seemed to give a new impetus to young Choi’s
training in the martial arts.
In Kyoto, Choi met a fellow Korean, Mr. Him, who was engaged in teaching the
Japanese martial art, Karate. With two years of concentrated training, Choi attained
the rank of first degree black belt. These techniques, together with Taek Kyon (foot
techniques), were the forerunners of modern Taekwon-Do.
There followed a period of both mental and physical training, preparatory school, high
school, and finally the University in Tokyo. During this time, training and
experimentation in his new fighting techniques were intensified until, with attainment
of his second degree black belt, he began teaching at a YMCA in Tokyo, Japan.
Choi recounts a particular experience from this period of time. There was no lamp-
post in the city that he didn't strike or kick to see if the copper wires ahead were
vibrating in protest.
"I would imagine that these were the techniques I would use to defend myself against
the wrestler, Mr. Hu if he did attempt to carry out his promise to tear me limb from
limb when I eventually returned to Korea."
With the outbreak of World War II, the author was forced to enlist in the Japanese
army through no volition of his own. While at his post in Pyongyang, North Korea, the
author was implicated as the planner of the Korean Independence Movement and
interned at a Japanese prison during his eight month pretrial examination.
While in prison, to alleviate the boredom and keep physically fit, Choi began practicing
this art in the solitude of his cell. In a short time, his cellmate and jailer became
students of his. Eventually, the whole prison courtyard became one gigantic
gymnasium.
The liberation in August 1945 spared Choi from an imposed seven year prison
sentence. Following his release, the ex-prisoner journeyed to Seoul where he
organized a student soldier’s party. In January of the following year, Choi was
commissioned as a second lieutenant in the new south Korean army, the "Launching
Pad" for putting Taekwon-Do into a new orbit.
Soon after, he made company commander in Kwang-Ju where the young second
lieutenant lighted the torch of this art by teaching his entire company and was then
promoted to first lieutenant and transferred to Tae Jon in charge of the Second
Infantry Regiment. While at his new post, Choi began spreading the art not only to
Korean soldiers but also to the Americans stationed there. This was the first
introduction to Americans of what would eventually become known as Taekwon-Do.
1947 was a year of fast promotion. Choi was promoted to captain and then major. In
1948, he was posted to Seoul as the head of logistics and became Taekwon-Do
instructor for the American Military Police School there. In late 1948, Choi became a
lieutenant colonel.
In 1949, Choi was promoted to full colonel and visited the United States for the first
time, attending the Fort Riley Ground General School. While there, this art was
introduced to the American public. And in 1951, brigadier general. During this time, he
organized the Ground General School in Pusan as Assistant Commandant and Chief of
the Academic Department. Choi was appointed as Chief of Staff of the First Corps in
1952 and was responsible for briefing General MacArthur during the latter’s visits to
Kang Nung. At the time of armistice, Choi was in command of the 5th Infantry Division.
The year 1953 was an eventful one for the General, in both his military career and in
the progress of the new martial art. He became the author of the first authoritative
book on military intelligence in Korea. He organized and activated the crack 29th
Infantry Division at Cheju Island, which eventually became the spearhead of Taekwon-
Do in the military and established the Oh Do Kwan (Gym of My Way) where he
succeeded not only in training the cadre instructors for the entire military but also
developing the Taek Kyon and Karate techniques into a modern system of Taekwon-
Do, with the help of Mr. Nam Tae Hi, his right hand man in 1954.
In the latter part of that year, he commanded Chong Do Kwan (Gym of the Blue Wave),
the largest civilian gym in Korea; Choi was also promoted to major general.
Technically, 1955 signaled the beginning of Taekwon-Do as a formally recognized art
in Korea. During that year, a special board was formed which included leading master
instructors, historians, and prominent leaders of society. A number of names for the
new martial art were submitted. On the 11th of April, the board summoned by Gen.
Choi, decided on the name of Taekwon-Do which had been submitted by him. This
single unified name of Taekwon-Do replaced the different and confusing terms; Dang
Soo, Gong Soo, Taek Kyon, Kwon Bup, etc.
In 1959, Taekwon-Do spread beyond its national boundaries. The father of Taekwon-
Do and nineteen of his top black belt holders toured the Far East. The tour was a
major success, astounding all spectators with the excellence of the Taekwon-Do
techniques. Many of these black belt holders such as Nam Tae Hi, President of the
Asia Taekwon-Do Federation; Colonel Ko Jae Chun, the 5th Chief of Taekwon-Do
instructors in Vietnam; Colonel Baek Joon Gi, the 2nd Chief instructor in Vietnam;
Brigadier Gen. Woo Jong Lim; Mr. Han Cha Kyo, the Head Instructor in Singapore and
Mr. Cha Soo Young, presently an international instructor in Washington D.C. eventually
went on to spread the art to the world.
In this year, Choi was elevated to two illustrious posts; President of his newly formed
Korea Taekwon-Do Association and deputy commander of the 2nd Army in Tae Gu.
The Korean Ambassador to Vietnam, General Choi Duk Shin was instrumental in
helping to promote Taekwon-Do in this nation locked in a death struggle with the
communists. That same year General Choi Hong Hi published his first Korean text on
Taekwon-Do which became the model for the 1965 edition.
In the year of 1960, the General attended the Modern Weapons Familiarization Course
in Texas followed by a visit to Jhoon Rhees Karate Club in San Antonio, where the
author convinced the students to use the name Taekwon-Do instead of Karate. Thus
Jhoon Rhee is known as the first Taekwon-Do instructor in America.
This marked the beginning of Taekwon-Do in the United States of America.
Choi returned to Korea as the Director of Intelligence of the Korean Army. Later that
same year, he assumed command of the Combat Armed Command with direction of
the infantry, artillery, armored, signal and aviation schools.
The Year 1961, incidentally, was the year of maturation for both Choi’s military career
and Taekwon-Do, with the command of the largest training centers in Korea and the
newly assigned command of the 6th Army Corps.
Taekwon-Do spread like wildfire, not only to the Korean civilian and military population
but to the U.S. soldiers of the 7th Infantry Division which was under his operational
control. Through his students, Taekwon-Do was even introduced to the greatest
military academy in the world. West Point, In the same year, he also made Taekwon-
Do a compulsory subject for the entire armed and police forces in south Korea.
1962, Choi was appointed as Ambassador to Malaysia, where, as a dedicated
missionary of Taekwon-Do, the art was spread. In 1963, the Taekwon-Do Association
of Malaysia was formed and reached national acceptance when the art was
demonstrated at the Merdeka Stadium at the request of the Prime Minister, Tunku
Abdul Rhaman.
The same year, two important milestones took place; the famous demonstration at
the United Nations building in New York, and the introduction of Taekwon-Do to the
Armed Forces of Vietnam under Major Nam Tae Hi, In February of the following year, a
Taekwon-Do Association was formed in Singapore, and the groundwork was laid for
forming associations in the outer reaches of Brunei.
The same year, Ambassador Choi made a trip to Vietnam with the sole purpose of
teaching the advanced Taekwon-Do patterns that he perfected after years of
research to the instructors group headed by Lt. Col. Park Joon Gi, in person. This was
indeed a new era for Taekwon-Do in that he was able to draw a clear line between
Taekwon-Do and Karate by completely eliminating the remaining vestige of Karate.
Late this year, he was re-elected to be the President of the Korea Taekwon-Do
Association upon returning home, which gave him a chance to purify the Taekwon-Do
society by cleaning up the political circles within its organization.
In 1965 Ambassador Choi, retired two star general, was appointed by the Government
of the Republic of Korea to lead a goodwill mission to West Germany, Italy, Turkey,
United-Arab Republic, Malaysia, and Singapore. This trip is significant in that the
Ambassador, for the first time in Korean history, declared Taekwon-Do as the national
martial art of Korea.
This was the basis not only for establishing Taekwon-Do Associations in these
countries but also the formation of the International Taekwon-Do Federation as it is
known today. In 1966, the dream of the sickly young student of calligraphy, who rose
to Ambassador and the Association President of the most respected martial art in the
world came true. On the 22nd of March, the International Taekwon-Do Federation was
formed with associations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, the United
States, Turkey, Italy, Arab Republic of Egypt and Korea.
In 1967, the father of Taekwon-Do received the first Class Distinguished Service
medal from the Government of Vietnam and he helped to form the Korea-Vietnam
Taekwon-Do Foundation, presided by Gen. Tran van Dong. That same year the Hong
Kong Taekwon-Do Association was formed. In August, Choi visited the All American
Taekwon-Do tournament held in Chicago, Illinois, where he discussed expansion,
unification, and the policy of the United States Taekwon-Do Association with leading
instructors. This visit led to the formal establishment of the U.S. Taekwon-Do
Association in Washington, D.C. on November 26th, 1967.
During his visit, Choi also met with Robert Walson, fourth degree black belt and one of
the foremost American authorities on Taekwon-Do, to lay the ground work for a new
edition of a book on Taekwon-Do.
In late 1967, the author invited Master Oyama to the I.T.F. Headquarters in Seoul to
continue the discussion they had earlier at Hakone, Japan, whereby Master Oyama
would eventually change his techniques to that of Taekwon-Do.
In that same year, the President of the I.T.F. selected five instructors from the Armed
Forces for Taiwan, at the request of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek. This request
was channeled through General Chung II Kwon, then the Prime Minister of South
Korea.
In 1968, the author visited France, as the chief delegate of the Korean Government, to
attend the Consul International Sports Military Symposium held in Paris. Taekwon-Do
was a major topic on the agenda. Delegates from 32 countries witnessed
demonstrations of Taekwon-Do by a team of experts. That same year, the United
Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association was formed and the author visited Spain, the
Netherlands, Canada, Belgium and India with the hope of spreading Taekwon-Do.
When Choi returned to Korea he was presented with the first Sports Research Award
from south Korea for his dedicated work on behalf of the Korean martial art.
In 1969, Choi toured Southeast Asia to personally investigate the preparations of each
country for the First Asian Taekwon-Do Tournament that was held in September in
Hong Kong. Immediately after the tournament, the author undertook a worldwide tour
of twenty-nine countries to visit instructors and gather photographs for the first
edition of his previous book "Taekwon-Do". (copyright 1972)
August 1970, the author left for a tour of twenty countries throughout Southeast Asia,
Canada, Europe and the Middle East. Choi, of course, held seminars for international
instructors every place he went and helped spread and weld the International
Taekwon-Do Federation into a cohesive force.
In March 1971, Choi attended the Second Asian Taekwon-Do Tournament, held at
Stadium Negara in Malaysia, which was opened with the declaration of Tun Abdul
Rhajak, the Prime Minister, and closed with the presence of their Majesties.
Also in this year, the author was asked by Gen. Kim Jong Hyun, head of the Army
Martial Art department, to select qualified instructors for the Republic of Iran Armed
Forces.
The world tour of 1972 was quite retrospective in that Choi had an opportunity to
introduce Taekwon-Do to those heads of state of Bolivia, Dominica, Haiti and
Guatemala respectively.
In this year, Choi moved the headquarters of International Taekwon-Do Federation,
with the unanimous consent of member countries, to Toronto, Canada, envisaging to
spread this art eventually to the countries of Eastern Europe, according to the
milestone he set up years before.
During these travels, the author has been especially interested in promoting Taekwon-
Do among the youth of the world. The President of the International Taekwon-Do
Federation has been instrumental in introducing the art to numerous universities in
Europe, America, the Middle East and the Far East.
During the months of November and December 1973, General Choi and a specially
selected I.T.F. Demonstration Team, consisting of Kong Young II, Park Jong Soo, Rhee
Ki Ha, Pak Sun Jae and Choi Chang Keun, all 7th degree black belts, toured Europe,
the Middle East, Africa and the Far East. A total of 13 countries were visited and new I.
T.F. branches established in 5 of these countries. The tour was an overwhelming
success with a total of more than 100,000 people watching the demonstrations in
Egypt alone. At each stop, general Choi and the Demonstration Team were hosted by
ranking representatives of the local governments.
1974 was indeed an exuberant and long remembered year for Choi, because the
founder of Taekwon-Do was not only able to proudly present the superiority of
techniques as well as the competition rules of this art, but also to bring his dream into
reality by holding the first World Taekwon-Do Championships in Montreal.
In November and December of this year, he led the 4th International Taekwon-Do
Demonstration Team consisting of 10 of the world’s top instructors to Jamaica,
Curacao, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela and Surinam.
In 1975, Taekwon-Do alone had the privilege to demonstrate at the Sydney opera
house for the first time since its opening. General Choi visited Greece and Sweden to
conduct seminars later in this year. In the middle of 1976 he toured Iran, Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Europe to inspect Taekwon-Do activities, giving seminars at the same
time. In November of the same year, Choi went to Holland to declare the opening of the
First European Taekwon-Do Championships held in Amsterdam.
September 1977, the founder of Taekwon-Do visited Malaysia, New Zealand and
Australia following the Tokyo meeting in which he publicly denounced the South
Korean President Park Jung Hee who had been using Taekwon-Do for his political
ends. Later that year he visited Sweden and Denmark to aid in the formation of their
National Associations of Taekwon-Do.
In May of 1978, General Choi toured Malaysia, Pakistan, Kenya and South Africa
accompanied by Rhee Ki Ha. In this year he led the 5th International Taekwon-Do
Demonstration Team consisting of Choi Chang Keun, Rhee Ki Ha, Park Jung Tae and
Liong Wai Meng to Sweden, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia. In September of the
same year the Second World Taekwon-Do Championships was held in Oklahoma City,
U.S.A.
In June 1979, the All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation was formed in Oslo, Norway.
After this historic event General Choi toured Sweden, Denmark, West Germany,
France and Greenland accompanied by Khang Su Jong and Rhee Ki Ha. In November
of that year he led the 6th International Taekwon-Do demonstration team consisting of
Kim Jong Chan, Choi Chang Keun, Rhee Ki Ha, Park Jung Tae, Lee Jong Moon, Chung
Kwang Duk, Kim Suk Jun and Michael Cormack to Argentina.
The year 1980 was indeed an unforgettable one for the father of Taekwon-Do, both for
himself and the future of his art. He and 15 of his students, including his son Choi
Joong Hwa, made a monumental trip to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
This was the first time Taekwon-Do was introduced to the people of North Korea, Choi’
s birth place. In November of this same year, the first All Europe Taekwon-Do
Championships was held in London with 18 countries participating.
In January of 1981, Gen. Choi made a visit to Queensland, Australia, accompanied by
Choi Chang Keun, to declare, open the first Pacific Area Taekwon-Do Championships.
At this time he helped to form the South Pacific Taekwon-Do Federation as well as the
Australian Taekwon-Do Federation.
In June of the same year, the author led the 8th International Taekwon-Do
Demonstration Team to Tokyo, Japan. In October, he conducted a seminar for the
founding members of Taekwon-Do in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and
in November he proudly presented the unified Taekwon-Do demonstration team
consisting of North and South Korean instructors to the historic meeting called North
and Overseas Korean Christian Leaders, held in Vienna, Austria. In August, President
Choi visited Argentina to declare the opening of the Third World Taekwon-Do
Championships held in Resitancia, Chaco.
In January 1982 the President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation formed the
North America Taekwon-Do Federation in Toronto, Canada. In this year, the author
was finally able to realize his long anticipated dream (since 1967) when a Taekwon-
Do gym opened for the first time in Japan under the auspices of patriot Chon Jin Shik.
It was indeed a very busy year for the President in that he visited Puerto Rico in July
accompanied by Master Park Jung Tae, to conduct seminars.
During the months of October and November he toured Greenland, the United
Kingdom, West Germany, Austria, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia,
Czechoslovakia and Finland, accompanied by Master Han Sam Soo, Park Jung Taek
and Choi Joong Hwa to promote Taekwon-Do. He also attended the First
Intercontinental Taekwon-Do Championships held in December in Naples, Italy.
In October of the same year Gen. Choi met with Mr. Csandi, the Chairman of
programming committee of I.O.C. in Budapest, Hungary to discuss the recognition of I.
T.F. by the I.O.C. In January 1983, General Choi made a visit to Colorado, U.S.A
accompanied by Master Lee Suk Hi, the President of North America Taekwon-Do
Federation, to grade Charles E.Sereff, the President of the U.S. Taekwon-Do
Federation, for 7th degree.
In February 1983, the author toured Latin America including Argentina, Columbia,
Panama and Honduras to conduct a full scale seminar. During his stay in Honduras he
helped to activate the Central American Taekwon-Do Federation. During the months of
March, April and May he toured Santa Barbara, California, Europe and the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea to conduct last minute preparation of the encyclopedia,
the last product of his life-long research.
In October and November of the same year, he made a visit to Yugoslavia and Italy
accompanied by Park Jung Taek and Choi Joong Hwa to prepare photographs to be
used for the Encyclopedia. In April 1984, President Choi declared the opening of the
Fourth World Taekwon-Do Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland. In the same
month, he visited Mr. Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic
Committee, in Lausanne accompanied by Master Rhee Ki Ha, Charles Sereff and Kim
Yong Kyu to prove that only the International Taekwon-Do Federation is the world
governing body of true Taekwon-Do.
In September the author invited key instructors such as Lee Suk Hi, Rhee Ki Ha, Park
Jung Tae and Choi Joong Hwa to Pyongyang to finalize the publication of the
Encyclopedia. In fact, this was the time when the relocation of the I.T.F. to Vienna,
Austria was seriously discussed.
In October of the same year, the President made an official visit to Budapest, Hungary
to declare the opening of the 3rd All Europe Taekwon-Do Championships. This indeed
was of particular importance as it was the first large scale international event held in
a socialist country as far as the Taekwon-Do tournament is concerned.
In the following month, General Choi visited New York City along with masters Lee Suk
Hi and Park Jung Tae to declare open the 3rd annual General Choi’s Cup in North
America. In December the 5th I.T.F Congress meeting was held in Vienna, where it
was unanimously decided to relocate the I.T.F. here by March of the next year. Also at
the meeting, President Choi Hong Hi was re-elected for another term. Mr. Jun Chin
Shik, the President of Japan International Taekwon-Do Federation, masters Lee Suk
Hi and Rhee Ki Ha were elected as Vice Presidents with master Park Jung Tae as
Secretary-General.
Without doubt, 1985 was one of the most significant years for the founder of Taekwon-
Do as he was able to document all of the techniques he had researched for years by
publishing the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do. He was also able to establish a strong
foundation for the spreading of his art to the entire world, especially the socialist as
well as the Third World countries by moving the International Taekwon-Do Federation
to Vienna, the capital city of Austria.
In April of this year, President Choi visited Puerto Rico accompanied by Tran Trien
Quan, the President of the Canadian Taekwon-Do Federation, James Limand Kim Suk
Jun to attend the 1st Latin American General Choi’s Cup. In June, he visited East
Berlin to attend the opening ceremony of the 24th I.O.C. Congress.
In November of the same year, Gen. Choi, accompanied by Secretary-General Master
Park Jung Tae and Tran Trien Quan, visited Norway to honour the opening of the 1985
Scandinavian Taekwon-Do Championships.
In December, various festivals celebrating the 30th anniversary of Taekwon-Do was
held in Quebec, Canada sponsored by the Taekwon-Do Federation of Canada were
highlighted with the presence of the Father of Taekwon-Do, Gen. Choi Hong Hi.
In June 1986 the founder took DPRK Taekwon-Do demonstration team to the People’s
Republic of China. This visit eventually became the motivation for the Chinese people
to adopt the Korean martial art, Taekwon-Do.
1987 was a significant year for General Choi because he showed once again the
indomitable spirit as well as perseverance to the Taekwon-Do world by declaring the
5th World Championship in May in Athens, Greece, despite persistent interference of
the South Korean dictatorial regime.
In December of the same year, president Choi began to formulate the Promotion and
Popularization Foundation of ITF boosted by the pledge given by Mr. Chon Yon Shik, the
elder brother of senior vice-president Mr. Chon Jin Shik, in the amount of 100,000,000
Japanese Yen.
The year 1988 was culminated by two important events. In May, the Hungarian
government hosted the 6th World Championships in Budapest which was by far, the
largest in scale, finest in technique and also for the first time, televised via satellite
throughout Europe.
In August, the Father of Taekwon-Do was at last able to realize his ultimate dream of
introducing and teaching his art without regard to religion, race, national or
ideological boundaries, by leading the I.T.F. demonstration team to Moscow, U.S.S.R.
It is hoped that all instructors will follow his example by devoting part of their time
towards introducing the art into the school systems in their respective areas.
Merely introducing the art, however, is not enough. The instructor must also concern
himself with imbuing and maintaining a positive influence that will eventually serve as
a guiding light to all students. Then and only then, can the instructor consider himself
an apostle of Taekwon-Do.
Interview with General Choi Hong Hi
Founding Father of Taekwon-Do,
President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation
Interview by Maria Heron, (The Times)
On Friday 12th November, 1999, General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Taekwon-do
arrived in the UK at the invitation of the British United Taekwon-do Federation to
conduct a seminar of Taekwon-do for the Federation’s members.
Obviously opportunities to meet, let alone interview, the General are extremely rare,
so when Master Choy, chairman of the BUTF, suggested that just such an interview
might be possible, BUTF.COM immediately jumped at the chance to cover the event.
The venue was the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Heathrow. Master R. Choy, Master T. Wolf,
Master T.Y. Au and Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha, who had also been invited by the BUTF,
were present at the interview.
Surprisingly, upon meeting General Choi for the first time one may be forgiven for not
believing that this modest, polite &, apparently, gently spoken elderly gentleman not
only spawned a martial art which is now practiced by millions in all corners of the
globe, but also led a student revolution in his teenage years, rose to the rank of
General in the Korean Army, was appointed as an Ambassador for his country and
not least, was this year nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace.
It does not, however, take but a few moments, to realise that the General is
extremely competent and forthright, not a bit ‘gently spoken’ and remains to this day,
as enthusiastic about his beloved Taekwon-do as he was on 11th April 1955, the day
he named & presented the Art to the world:
Over the last 45 years, Taekwon-do has enjoyed unprecedented worldwide growth.
This according to the General is entirely due to the development of Taekwon-do’s
‘scientific’ execution and explanation of technique:
“Easy to teach, easy to learn! A person with no martial training can see if a technique
is performed correctly because Taekwon-do is scientific and it’s techniques are
based on basic principles of Physics.”
This is the General’s rationale, and one that would be difficult to dispute!
"I will supervise the future development of Taekwon-do from my grave!” He says with
a grin. – We don’t doubt him for a second!
The Interview
Q. What is TAEKWON-DO?
Taekwon-do is a version of unarmed combat for the purpose of self defence. It is
however, not just that. It is a scientific use of body that has gained the ultimate use of
its facilities through intensive mental and physical training, that is of TAEKWON-DO
Q. What were your ambitions for TAEKWON-DO?
My concept of the art is that by developing an upright mind and strong body we will
acquire the self-confidence to stand on the side of justice at all times. We shall be
family in common brotherhood with all men. We shall deliver diligence, & shall
dedicate ourselves to building an ideal world in which morality, justice, religion,
philanthropy and trust will always prevail.
Everything is governed by Yin and Yang. Oriental philosophy is full of moral teachings.
This was my motivation.
Q. How did the patterns of TAEKWON-DO come about?
When the Japanese invaded Korea they tried to remove the Korean nationality. You
could not go to school and be educated if you were not Japanese. I was left a man
with no country and therefore no national pride.
The Patterns of TAEKWON-DO represent the history of Korea from time in legend to
this century. The propagation of TAEKWON-DO throughout the world has also
enabled, through the patterns, a small part of Korean history to be learned by its
practitioners. A part of Korea therefore now exists across the whole world and
Korea’s nationality and history can never be removed by oppressors again.
Q. How long did it take you to develop the patterns into the form we know them today?
I began my research in March 1946 into what was to be named TAEKWON-DO on
April 11, 1955.My research ended in 1983. The patterns represent my study of the Art
in this period.
Q. There was a pattern many years ago for 2nd degrees called Kodang, why was this
pattern replaced by Juche?
As new techniques were developed they needed to be represented in the patterns.
The pattern Kodang was replaced simply because it represented the latest Korean
history, basically last in first out.
Q. How would you describe the perfect training session
The most important thing in training sessions is that the instructor is fully qualified to
teach that which he purports to teach. If the instructor is not qualified, the session
cannot be perfect because it will become infected with imperfections of technique. A
student can only learn what an instructor teaches. If the instructor is not able to
explain the true meaning and purpose of every movement he teaches, the student
will never master what is being taught.
Q. Do you still practice the art each day.
I have followed a routine of training every day for the last 55 years which lasts
approximately 60 & 70 minutes. I will probably continue this regime even in my grave.
Q. Do you follow a special diet
Yes, I eat everything my wife cooks for me. If you train regularly and correctly, and
your health allows, there is no need to follow any special diet or take nutritional
supplements.
Q. Can you foresee a time in the future when genuine (ITF) Taekwon-Do will replace
WTF TAEKWON-DO in the Olympics.
The Olympic Games were originally contested by naked male competitors. It has,
over the years been forced to accept social changes. It is my greatest pride that
TAEKWON-DO has been included in modern Olympic Games, in my lifetime. It is
unique that the founder of an Olympic discipline survives to see such global
recognition of his work. It is unfortunate however, that due to the efforts of Korea to
distance themselves politically from me, that the Olympics do not represent true
TAEKWON-DO, but that of an inferior and removed style.
Q. What efforts are being made by the ITF for the inclusion of TAEKWON-DO in the
Olympic Games.
(Grand Master Rhee answers) I believe that martial arts are different to other sports
and should not be categorised together. A basketball player needs to be extremely
tall, whilst a jockey, ideally, needs to be small. A student of TAEKWON-DO does not
need to be bound by physical limitations. I therefore have had discussions regarding
a possible separate Olympic event much like the separate Winter Olympics. This
event should include, and be representative of all Martial Arts and would therefore be
a celebration of the Arts.
Q. You obtained your black belt in Karate, what did that mean to you?
I originally learnt Karate when I first went to Japan because a man in my village, back
home in Korea, had challenged me to a fight and I needed to know how to fight him.
After I gained my first black belt, I immediately realized that Karate did not offer all
the answers. I found it lacking in many aspects and I was not confident to return to
my village and face my challenger. This is when I embarked upon my research into
martial arts which was possibly the birth of TAEKWON-DO.
Q. You have recently been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Do you feel your
recent nomination for the prize will help the ITF Olympic cause?
Whilst I am extremely honoured to have received such a prestigious nomination, I
never expected to receive the award in the knowledge that possibly many more
deserving candidates were also nominated. The true significance of this honour is
that I have been unequivocally recognized as the Founder of TAEKWON-DO, and
therefore the ITF is the only authority for genuine TAEKWON-DO
Q. Why is ITF headquarters now in Vienna and you, as its head, in Canada?
This decision was made by the ITF Congress to promote TAEKWON-DO in the Eastern
Block countries. Geographically Vienna is central both to West and East. Because of
the political changes in Central Europe and the East we felt that moving the
Headquarters to Vienna would be beneficial and assist in the integration of the ITF in
these countries.
Q. Who else in the martial arts community, not just TAEKWON-DO, has had an
influence on you personally?
No one.
Q. Do you feel that the tragic death of a fighter at last year’s United States Open WTF
Full Contact Championships reflected on TAEKWON-DO as a whole, or just on those
doing full contact sparing.
Firstly, that was not a true TAEKWON-DO event, because they do not understand that
sparring is a tiny part of the true Art. They have attempted to glamorise sparring and
allowing full contact is only part of that glamorisation. True TAEKWON-DO sparring
should be non-contact, allowing the practitioners to demonstrate their skills and
abilities without risk of bodily injury.
Q. TAEKWON-DO has always distanced itself from other martial arts by being
continually developed and improved, what recent ground breaking changes have
been made and on what science have they been based.
As I said, my research ended in the mid 80’s, & I will make no more advances in my
lifetime, the legacy of the development of TAEKWON-DO for the future remains with
the Masters of the Art from now on. I have entrusted the development to them.
Q. ITF New Zealand, claimed that you signed their guest book on their web-site. Did
you?
What is a web-site?
Q. As we approach the dawn of a new millennium, what are your hopes and
aspirations
I hope that TAEKWON-DO will continue vehemently to grow along the philosophy of no
discrimination between race, religion, politics, age and sex. I have already achieved
more in my life time than one man could ever have hoped for. My dreams and
aspirations have been fulfilled.
Q. You have always been the figurehead for TAEKWON-DO, how long do you consider
you will be remain president of the ITF.
People cannot live forever, so I know my time is getting short maybe in a couple of
years I may be retiring from my presidential post. Congress will elect a new one, but I
will not take my hand off TAEKWON-DO. I will supervise from the graveyard.
Q. Has it already been decided who will succeed you?
As I said, the next president of the ITF will be democratically elected by the ITF
Congress.
Q. And finally, as Christmas is just around the corner what would you like
Everyone in the world to learn TAEKWON-DO!
Founding Father of Taekwon-Do,
President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation
Interview by Maria Heron, (The Times)
On Friday 12th November, 1999, General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Taekwon-do
arrived in the UK at the invitation of the British United Taekwon-do Federation to
conduct a seminar of Taekwon-do for the Federation’s members.
Obviously opportunities to meet, let alone interview, the General are extremely rare,
so when Master Choy, chairman of the BUTF, suggested that just such an interview
might be possible, BUTF.COM immediately jumped at the chance to cover the event.
The venue was the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Heathrow. Master R. Choy, Master T. Wolf,
Master T.Y. Au and Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha, who had also been invited by the BUTF,
were present at the interview.
Surprisingly, upon meeting General Choi for the first time one may be forgiven for not
believing that this modest, polite &, apparently, gently spoken elderly gentleman not
only spawned a martial art which is now practiced by millions in all corners of the
globe, but also led a student revolution in his teenage years, rose to the rank of
General in the Korean Army, was appointed as an Ambassador for his country and
not least, was this year nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace.
It does not, however, take but a few moments, to realise that the General is
extremely competent and forthright, not a bit ‘gently spoken’ and remains to this day,
as enthusiastic about his beloved Taekwon-do as he was on 11th April 1955, the day
he named & presented the Art to the world:
Over the last 45 years, Taekwon-do has enjoyed unprecedented worldwide growth.
This according to the General is entirely due to the development of Taekwon-do’s
‘scientific’ execution and explanation of technique:
“Easy to teach, easy to learn! A person with no martial training can see if a technique
is performed correctly because Taekwon-do is scientific and it’s techniques are
based on basic principles of Physics.”
This is the General’s rationale, and one that would be difficult to dispute!
"I will supervise the future development of Taekwon-do from my grave!” He says with
a grin. – We don’t doubt him for a second!
The Interview
Q. What is TAEKWON-DO?
Taekwon-do is a version of unarmed combat for the purpose of self defence. It is
however, not just that. It is a scientific use of body that has gained the ultimate use of
its facilities through intensive mental and physical training, that is of TAEKWON-DO
Q. What were your ambitions for TAEKWON-DO?
My concept of the art is that by developing an upright mind and strong body we will
acquire the self-confidence to stand on the side of justice at all times. We shall be
family in common brotherhood with all men. We shall deliver diligence, & shall
dedicate ourselves to building an ideal world in which morality, justice, religion,
philanthropy and trust will always prevail.
Everything is governed by Yin and Yang. Oriental philosophy is full of moral teachings.
This was my motivation.
Q. How did the patterns of TAEKWON-DO come about?
When the Japanese invaded Korea they tried to remove the Korean nationality. You
could not go to school and be educated if you were not Japanese. I was left a man
with no country and therefore no national pride.
The Patterns of TAEKWON-DO represent the history of Korea from time in legend to
this century. The propagation of TAEKWON-DO throughout the world has also
enabled, through the patterns, a small part of Korean history to be learned by its
practitioners. A part of Korea therefore now exists across the whole world and
Korea’s nationality and history can never be removed by oppressors again.
Q. How long did it take you to develop the patterns into the form we know them today?
I began my research in March 1946 into what was to be named TAEKWON-DO on
April 11, 1955.My research ended in 1983. The patterns represent my study of the Art
in this period.
Q. There was a pattern many years ago for 2nd degrees called Kodang, why was this
pattern replaced by Juche?
As new techniques were developed they needed to be represented in the patterns.
The pattern Kodang was replaced simply because it represented the latest Korean
history, basically last in first out.
Q. How would you describe the perfect training session
The most important thing in training sessions is that the instructor is fully qualified to
teach that which he purports to teach. If the instructor is not qualified, the session
cannot be perfect because it will become infected with imperfections of technique. A
student can only learn what an instructor teaches. If the instructor is not able to
explain the true meaning and purpose of every movement he teaches, the student
will never master what is being taught.
Q. Do you still practice the art each day.
I have followed a routine of training every day for the last 55 years which lasts
approximately 60 & 70 minutes. I will probably continue this regime even in my grave.
Q. Do you follow a special diet
Yes, I eat everything my wife cooks for me. If you train regularly and correctly, and
your health allows, there is no need to follow any special diet or take nutritional
supplements.
Q. Can you foresee a time in the future when genuine (ITF) Taekwon-Do will replace
WTF TAEKWON-DO in the Olympics.
The Olympic Games were originally contested by naked male competitors. It has,
over the years been forced to accept social changes. It is my greatest pride that
TAEKWON-DO has been included in modern Olympic Games, in my lifetime. It is
unique that the founder of an Olympic discipline survives to see such global
recognition of his work. It is unfortunate however, that due to the efforts of Korea to
distance themselves politically from me, that the Olympics do not represent true
TAEKWON-DO, but that of an inferior and removed style.
Q. What efforts are being made by the ITF for the inclusion of TAEKWON-DO in the
Olympic Games.
(Grand Master Rhee answers) I believe that martial arts are different to other sports
and should not be categorised together. A basketball player needs to be extremely
tall, whilst a jockey, ideally, needs to be small. A student of TAEKWON-DO does not
need to be bound by physical limitations. I therefore have had discussions regarding
a possible separate Olympic event much like the separate Winter Olympics. This
event should include, and be representative of all Martial Arts and would therefore be
a celebration of the Arts.
Q. You obtained your black belt in Karate, what did that mean to you?
I originally learnt Karate when I first went to Japan because a man in my village, back
home in Korea, had challenged me to a fight and I needed to know how to fight him.
After I gained my first black belt, I immediately realized that Karate did not offer all
the answers. I found it lacking in many aspects and I was not confident to return to
my village and face my challenger. This is when I embarked upon my research into
martial arts which was possibly the birth of TAEKWON-DO.
Q. You have recently been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Do you feel your
recent nomination for the prize will help the ITF Olympic cause?
Whilst I am extremely honoured to have received such a prestigious nomination, I
never expected to receive the award in the knowledge that possibly many more
deserving candidates were also nominated. The true significance of this honour is
that I have been unequivocally recognized as the Founder of TAEKWON-DO, and
therefore the ITF is the only authority for genuine TAEKWON-DO
Q. Why is ITF headquarters now in Vienna and you, as its head, in Canada?
This decision was made by the ITF Congress to promote TAEKWON-DO in the Eastern
Block countries. Geographically Vienna is central both to West and East. Because of
the political changes in Central Europe and the East we felt that moving the
Headquarters to Vienna would be beneficial and assist in the integration of the ITF in
these countries.
Q. Who else in the martial arts community, not just TAEKWON-DO, has had an
influence on you personally?
No one.
Q. Do you feel that the tragic death of a fighter at last year’s United States Open WTF
Full Contact Championships reflected on TAEKWON-DO as a whole, or just on those
doing full contact sparing.
Firstly, that was not a true TAEKWON-DO event, because they do not understand that
sparring is a tiny part of the true Art. They have attempted to glamorise sparring and
allowing full contact is only part of that glamorisation. True TAEKWON-DO sparring
should be non-contact, allowing the practitioners to demonstrate their skills and
abilities without risk of bodily injury.
Q. TAEKWON-DO has always distanced itself from other martial arts by being
continually developed and improved, what recent ground breaking changes have
been made and on what science have they been based.
As I said, my research ended in the mid 80’s, & I will make no more advances in my
lifetime, the legacy of the development of TAEKWON-DO for the future remains with
the Masters of the Art from now on. I have entrusted the development to them.
Q. ITF New Zealand, claimed that you signed their guest book on their web-site. Did
you?
What is a web-site?
Q. As we approach the dawn of a new millennium, what are your hopes and
aspirations
I hope that TAEKWON-DO will continue vehemently to grow along the philosophy of no
discrimination between race, religion, politics, age and sex. I have already achieved
more in my life time than one man could ever have hoped for. My dreams and
aspirations have been fulfilled.
Q. You have always been the figurehead for TAEKWON-DO, how long do you consider
you will be remain president of the ITF.
People cannot live forever, so I know my time is getting short maybe in a couple of
years I may be retiring from my presidential post. Congress will elect a new one, but I
will not take my hand off TAEKWON-DO. I will supervise from the graveyard.
Q. Has it already been decided who will succeed you?
As I said, the next president of the ITF will be democratically elected by the ITF
Congress.
Q. And finally, as Christmas is just around the corner what would you like
Everyone in the world to learn TAEKWON-DO!
| Special Thanks to all who have donated their time, recommendations and material to help make this site the best website source on the Chang Huhn Patterns. |
General Choi Hong Hi
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