History
The name Tang Soo Do (당수 도) means "The Way of the Chinese Hand" in Korean. Notably, Tang Soo Do is translated into Chinese characters as 唐手道 and pronounced Táng shǒu dào in Chinese, and the same characters are read as "Karate-Do" in Japanese. This reflects the significant socio-political evolution in recent Korean history.
Tang Soo Do is a martial art originating from Korea, dating back to the Three Kingdoms period (Koguryo, Silla, and Paelche). At that time, martial arts were widely used in warfare. Tang Soo Do became very popular in military circles. During this period, the practice and teaching of martial arts were banned, leading to the closure of Korean martial arts schools such as Subak Ki, Tae Kyon, Kuk Sul, Sipal Ki, and others. After World War II, in 1945, this ban was lifted.
Several martial arts schools were established thereafter, including:
Moo Duk Kwan, founded by Master Hwang Kee
Chung Do Kwan, founded by Master Won Kuk Lee
Chang Moo Kwan, founded by Master Nam Suk Lee
Oh Do Kwan, founded by Master Choi Hong Hi
In March 1965, an attempt was made to unify the Tae Soo Do Federation with the Korean Subak Do Association. The result was the approval of the name Taekwondo, leading to a split within the Subak Do organization, with some joining Taekwondo and others remaining with Master Hwang Kee.
In 1971, Taekwondo was officially recognized as the national sport of South Korea by presidential decree from Park Chung Hee. In 1973, due to irreconcilable differences between two key figures (General Choi Hong Hi and Dr. Kim Un-yong), the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was established under Kim Un-yong. This organization was founded in opposition to the ITF, which, after several changes, received support from North Korea. Meanwhile, the WTF, led by Kim Un-yong, was included in the Olympic Games (Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992) and received support from South Korea. Thus, Taekwondo evolved from a martial art to an official Olympic combat sport.
Amidst the turmoil created by the modernization of the ancient art and the subsequent split of the two federations, traditional schools that remained true to the old style chose to emigrate, teaching outside Korea (in America, Europe, and Southern Africa) to preserve and maintain the message of the ancient founding masters.