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| TID BITS "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
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.
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.
General Choi Hong Hi
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!
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