History of Tae Kwon Do

Over 1350 years ago Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Silla, Koguryo, and Paekche. Silla, the smallest of these kingdoms was constantly under invasion and harassment by it’s two more powerful Northern and Western neighbors. King Chin Hung, in his thirty-seventh year of rein, called up the strong and patriotic youth and formed a military organization under General Kim Yu -Sin, called the Hwa - Rang Do.

This elite group, in addition to the ordinary training in spear, bow, sword and hook, also were trained in the practice of mental and physical discipline, and various forms of hand and foot fighting known then as T‘ae -Kyun To harden their bodies, they climbed rugged mountains, swam the turbulent rivers in the coldest months, and drove themselves unmercifully to prepare for the task of defending their homeland

To guide themselves and give purpose to their knighthood, they were required to observe the following five - point code of conduct:

1.  Allegiance to the king

2.  Faithfulness to your parents

3.  Faithfulness to your friends.

4.  No killing of animals.

5.  No retreating from the battlefield.

         These young warriors, many as young as fourteen years old, became known and respected around the land for their courage and skill in battle.

They attained feats of valor, which in turn led Silla to rise and unite.

As a result, the Korean peninsula was united for the first time in it's history in the year 668 A.D.

         Sae Bak was the original primitive art of hand fighting utilized during the period of Hwa - Rang - Do. Disciplines resembling Tae - Kyun and Jujitsu were also practiced during this time. As time went on, these warriors molded it into a combative art and instilled the moral ethics and principles of the Hwa - Rang - Do. It soon became known as an art called Soo Bak Gi. Much historical documentation indicates that some of these forms of fighting may eventually have been exported to Japan and formed the basis of Japanese Karate.

           Certainly, the Silla and Koguryo Dynasties marked a flowering of Martial Arts in Korea. During the Ti Dynasty ( 1392 - 1910 ), however, the art of valor was humiliated while the literary arts were encouraged. Anything dealing with Military was debased. The final blow came with the Japanese occupation ( 1910 - 1945 ), when it was forbidden to practice any of the Martial Arts. Despite this law Tae Kyun was secretly practiced by some dedicated students. It was during the Japanese occupation during World War II that hand techniques were introduced and combined with the extensive Korean foot techniques.

         With the liberation of Korea in 1945, A new Military was created: The Republic of Korea Armed Forces. A young second lieutenant named Choi Hong Hi, who had recently released from a Japanese prisoner of war camp, began teaching his Martial Arts to some soldiers. The combination of these teachings becoming what is known throughout the world as Tae Kwon Do.