11/04/2025
… I made a resolution to create a unique martial art. Of our people, and started to work on it in March of 1946. After repeated studies and various difficulties, I completed the foundations of the modern martial art. By the Spring of 1955, a span of nine years. „once you have identified the difference, you’d better name it properly.” As this passage says, I naturally needed to give this new martial art. A new name to distinguish it from others, since I intended it to proudly announce the wisdom and spirit of our Korean people along with ethics and virtues of the Far East, as well as my own philosophy of living. However giving it a name was not an easy task for me. Because as a wise man, Xu-You said „name is decoration of contents,” the new name had to represent the movements. Thus, while I had had „Tae-kwon-Do” in my mind for quite a long time. As our nation was under the dictatorship of the president, I was just waiting for the right moment to announce it. I was afraid of launching it without an influential public announcement, due to the danger of becoming a target for gossip or scheming inside the Army. (…)
👊🏻 Tae Kwon Do and I, Genral Choi Hong-Hi, 2000 | TAEKWON-DO can be translated as tae („strike with foot”), kwon („strike with hand”), and do („the art or way”). | Taekwon-do 1955-2025
