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About Taekwon-Do
By General Choi Hong Hi
Modern TaeKwon-Do or
Tae Kwon Do differs greatly from other martial arts. In fact, no other
martial art is so advanced with regard to the sophistication and
effectiveness of its technique or the overall physical fitness it imparts to
its practitioners.
Where and when did
Taekwon-Do begin?
A combination of
circumstances made it possible for me to originate and develop Taekwon-Do.
In addition to my prior knowledge of Taek Kyon, I had an opportunity to
learn Karate in Japan during the unhappy thirty-six years when my native
land was occupied by the Japanese. Soon after Korea was liberated in 1945, I
was placed in a privileged position as a founding member of the newly formed
South Korean Armed Forces. The former provided me with a definite sense of
creation, and the latter gave me the power to disseminate Taekwon-Do
throughout the entire armed forces, despite furious opposition.
It was with this
ambition that I began to develop new techniques, systematically, from March
of that same year. By the end of 1954, I had nearly completed the foundation
of a new martial art for Korea, and on April 11, 1955, it was given the name
"Taekwon-Do".
On the spiritual level,
Taekwon-Do is derived from the traditional, ethical and moral principles of
the orient and, of course, from my personal philosophy. Even though I am
only five feet tall, I pride myself on having lived in strict accordance
with my moral convictions. I have tried to fight on the side of justice
without fear of any kind. I believe that this was possible for me only
because of the formidable power and indomitable spirit instilled by
Taekwon-Do.
The physical techniques
of Taekwon-Do are based on the principles of modern science, in particular
Newtonian physics which teaches us how to generate maximum power. Military
tactics of attack and
defence
have also been incorporated. I wish to make it clear that although Karate
and Taek Kyon were used as references in the course of my study, the
fundamental theories and principles of Taekwon-Do are totally different from
those of any other martial art in the world.
In March 1959, I led the
military Taekwon-Do demonstration team on a tour abroad. We visited South
Vietnam and Taiwan. It was the first such visit in the history of Korea. On
this occasion, I renewed my resolution to leave my personal legacy to the
world, in the form of Taekwon-Do, and I formulated the following basic
ideals for the Taekwon-Do practitioners:
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By
developing an upright mind and a strong body, we will acquire the
self-confidence to stand on the side of justice at all times.
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We
shall unite with all men in a common brotherhood, without regard to
religious, race, national, or ideological boundaries.
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We
shall dedicate ourselves to building a peaceful human society in which
justice, morality, trust and humanism prevail.
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