Although some Tae Kwon Do books state that Tae Kwon Do has been practiced since ancient times, this is due to the fact that some Korean writers use the word "Taekwondo" to refer to Korean martial arts as a whole.
Pre-1945
In the years from 1910 to 1945, during the Japanese occupation of Korea, many Koreans were exposed to Japanese versions of Chinese martial arts such as karate. Some of these Koreans included Lee-Won Kuk, Choi Hong Hi, Chun Sang-Sup and Yoon Byung-In. As the Japanese moved deeper into the continent, karate was adopted and mixed with more traditional Korean martial arts such as Taekyon and other Chinese martial arts.
1940s and 50s
After the liberation of Korea in 1945 various martial arts schools formed, including Chung Do Kwan headed by Lee, Yun Moo Kwan headed by Chun, Chang Moo Kwan headed by Yoon, and the military Oh Do Kwan headed by Choi. Another school, the Moo Duk Kwan, was headed by Hwang Ki, who learned in Manchuria.
In the years between 1945 and 1955 Choi Hong Hi, who is considered the founder of Tae Kwon Do, developed his knowledge and skills by teaching a combination of Karate and Taekyon to his soldiers. Eventually he became General in command of the 29th infantry division, spreading his teachings further.
In 1955, these arts, at that time called "Tang Soo Do" or "Kong Soo Do", were formally combined into a new art. A governmental body selected Choi's submission of Tae Kwon Do as the name. Tae Kwon Do incorporated more native Korean martial art styles in to the art, especially kicking techniques by adding the difficult kicks from taekyon in a modified noncircular style, and changed the rules.
In 1959, the Korean Taekwon-Do Association (KTA) was formed. General Choi Hong Hi was elected its President. Ro Byung Jick of the Song Moo Kwan and Yoon Kwe Byung of the Ji Do Kwan were elected the Vice Presidents. Hwang Kee of Moo Duk Kwan was appointed the Chief Director. This year also marked the first international tour of Tae Kwon Do, by General Choi and 19 black belts.
The 60s
In 1960, General Choi visited Jhoon Rhee's Karate Club in San Antonio, Texas, where he convinced Rhee to use the name Tae Kwon Do instead of Karate. This marked the beginning of Tae Kwon Do in the United States.
In 1966, on 22nd March, the International Taekwondo Federation was formed (ITF) with associations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, The United States of America, Turkey, Italy, The Arab Republic of Egypt and Korea. General Choi was its elected president and continued the international spread of Tae Kwon Do.
The 70s
In 1972, General Choi moved the headquarters of the ITF, with the unanimous consent of member countries, to Toronto, Canada.
In 1973, on 28th May, a competing organisation was formed in South Korea: the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) which was originally headed by Kim Un-Yong (later a member of the IOC).
The 80s
In 1982, the International Olympic Committee designated WTF Tae Kwon Do an official demonstration sport for the 1988 Summer Olympics.
In 1985, the ITF Headquarters were moved to Vienna, the capital city of Austria, where it was located until his death, and the resulting split of the ITF. In this same year the first Encyclopedia of Tae Kwon Do was published.
The 21st Century
In 2000, Tae Kwon Do was added as an official event to the Olympic games.
