General Choi Hong Hi (1918–2002) was a South Korean army general and martial artist who is credited with naming taekwondo in 1955 and who founded the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) in 1966. He combined karate he learned in Japan with Korean training methods, created the ITF patterns and wrote the 15-volume Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do. ITF schools call him the founder of taekwondo. Taekwondo grew out of several Korean martial arts schools in the 1940s and 1950s, so no single person invented it, but Choi did more than anyone to name, organize and spread it internationally.
| Born | 9 November 1918, Hwadae, Myongchon County, in present-day North Korea |
|---|---|
| Died | 15 June 2002, Pyongyang, aged 83, of cancer |
| Known for | Naming taekwondo (1955), founding the ITF (1966) |
| Military rank | General in the South Korean army |
| Martial arts background | Karate in Japan; co-founder of the Oh Do Kwan |
| Main work | Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do (15 volumes) and the 24 ITF patterns |
Early life
Early life and karate in Japan
Choi Hong Hi was born on 9 November 1918 in Hwadae, Myongchon County, in the north of Korea, which was then under Japanese rule. In his own accounts he described himself as a frail child who was sent to study calligraphy with a teacher named Han Il-dong, who also taught him the Korean foot-fighting art taekkyeon. He later withdrew the claim that he had trained in taekkyeon.
In the late 1930s Choi went to Japan to study. In Kyoto he trained in karate with a Korean instructor named Kim, and he reached first dan around 1939 and second dan soon after. He also studied English and mathematics. For how karate and taekwondo compare today, see taekwondo vs. karate.
War and army
War, prison and the South Korean army
- Conscription: during the Pacific War, Choi was drafted into the Japanese army, which he later said was against his will.
- Prison: in 1945 a Japanese military court sentenced him to seven years in prison for his part in a plot against the Japanese. He was freed when Korea was liberated in August 1945.
- New army: in January 1946 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the new Korean army.
- Promotion: he rose quickly through the ranks during and after the Korean War and became a general.
- Teaching: he taught martial arts to his soldiers and helped found the Oh Do Kwan, an army school where taekwondo was developed and taught to Korean and American troops.
Taekwondo
How General Choi named and built taekwondo
After the war, several Korean martial arts schools, called kwans, taught styles influenced by karate under names such as tang soo do and kong soo do. Leaders of the kwans wanted a single Korean name and system.
- 11 April 1955: the name taekwondo (tae = foot, kwon = fist, do = way or art) was adopted. Choi is credited with proposing it.
- 1959: Choi became president of the newly formed Korea Taekwondo Association and led demonstration tours abroad.
- 1950s and 1960s: he developed the Chang Hon patterns, the forms still used by ITF schools, and published his first taekwondo book in English in 1965.
- 22 March 1966: he founded the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) in Seoul.
Not every kwan leader accepted Choi’s style or leadership, and the kwans later united under the Kukkiwon and the World Taekwondo Federation instead. For how taekwondo grew from the kwans, see the history of taekwondo, tang soo do vs. taekwondo and taekkyeon vs. taekwondo.
Exile
Exile, the ITF and North Korea
- 1972: after disputes with the South Korean government, including over his wish to teach taekwondo in North Korea, Choi left South Korea and moved to Canada, taking the ITF with him.
- 1973: South Korea’s taekwondo leaders formed the World Taekwondo Federation, the body that later took taekwondo to the Olympics.
- 1979 onward: Choi visited North Korea and introduced ITF taekwondo there, which made him a controversial figure in the South.
- Headquarters: the ITF later moved its headquarters to Vienna, Austria.
- 1983: he published the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do, a 15-volume reference covering ITF techniques and patterns.
Choi died of cancer in Pyongyang on 15 June 2002. He was survived by his wife, Choi Joon-hee, his son Choi Jung-hwa and his daughters Sunny and Meeyun.
Legacy
General Choi’s legacy
ITF
The ITF
After his death the ITF split into three main organizations, all of which teach his system and patterns.
Tul
The 24 patterns
The 24 ITF patterns, said to represent the 24 hours in a day, are still the core of ITF training.
Jungshin
The tenets
The five tenets taught in ITF schools come from Choi’s writing: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit.
ITF organizations honor Choi as the founder of taekwondo, while World Taekwondo and the Kukkiwon play down his role, partly because of his ties to North Korea. Most accounts agree he played a central part in naming the art and did more than anyone to take it around the globe in its early years. For the tenets, see the five tenets of taekwondo; for the ITF ranks, see the ITF belt order; and for the two branches today, see taekwondo styles and Olympic taekwondo.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who is the founder of taekwondo?
General Choi Hong Hi is widely called the founder of taekwondo, especially by ITF schools. He is credited with naming the art in 1955 and founded the International Taekwon-Do Federation in 1966. Taekwondo also grew from the work of several other Korean kwan leaders.
Who invented taekwondo?
No single person invented it. Taekwondo developed in Korea in the 1940s and 1950s from several martial arts schools that mixed karate with Korean methods. General Choi gave it its name and organized and spread much of it.
When did General Choi die?
General Choi Hong Hi died of cancer on 15 June 2002 in Pyongyang, North Korea, aged 83.
What did General Choi create?
He proposed the name taekwondo, founded the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) in 1966, created the ITF patterns and wrote the 15-volume Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do.
Why did General Choi leave South Korea?
He left in 1972 after disputes with the South Korean government, including over his plans to teach taekwondo in North Korea. He moved to Canada and continued leading the ITF from abroad.
The short version
General Choi Hong Hi (1918–2002) was a Korean army general credited with naming taekwondo in 1955. He founded the ITF in 1966, created its patterns and wrote the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do, and he spread taekwondo across the globe before and after leaving South Korea in 1972.