Taekwon-Do was named on 11 April 1955. This is not to say that Korean martial arts did not exist before then, but that was the year in which the name was first put forward.

The origins of Taekwon-Do can be traced to Tae Kyon, the art of self defence which originated 1300 years ago during the Silla Dynasty in Korea.

Tae Kyon was taught and practiced among the youths of “Hwarang-Do”, who were hand-picked to be trained as military leaders of Silla, one of the three ruling kingdoms of Korea at that time. Tae Kyon’s effectiveness was enhanced at the turn of the 20th century, when hand techniques were enhanced from China and later from Japan.

Japan occupied Korea for many years and during the Second World War the two countries were co-belligerents. Many Koreans fought on the side of the Japanese and received training in the Japanese martial art systems.

One of the most prominent personalities at this time was a General Choi Hong Hi. Gen. Choi had studied the Korean art of Tae Kyon as a child and as a student in Japan he had learned Karate. This combination of Korean and Japanese knowledge was to form the basis of his teachings at the academy of martial arts formed in 1953. Being a professional soldier, he was able to introduce the teaching of his system to the men under his command. Through his military liaison with foreign units, Gen. Choi spread his knowledge of his system until it became international.

Gen. Choi organized the first international demonstration tour, the consequences of which contributed towards the eventual formation of the International Taekwon-Do Federation on 22 March 1966. In 1972, as a result of political pressure within South Korea, Gen. Choi left the country to re-establish headquarters of ITF in Canada, later to be relocated to Vienna. The Korean government quickly set up a rival international body, calling it the World Taekwon-Do Federation. Since that time, Taekwon-Do has been divided and the techniques, patterns and systems differ between styles. ITFNZ continue to practice the original form of Taekwon-Do, the Chang-Hon style.

The theories, terminology, techniques, systems, methods, rules, uniform and philosophical foundation were scientifically developed, systemized, and named by Gen. Choi Hong Hi. Hence it is an error to think of any other actions employing the feet and hands for self defence as Taekwon-Do. On a philosophical level, Taekwon-Do is derived from the traditional, ethical and moral principals of the Orient and from the personal philosophy of Gen. Choi. The physical techniques of Taekwon-Do are based on the principals of modern science, in particular Newtonian physics which teaches us how to generate maximum power. Although Karate and Tae Kyon were used as references in the course of developing the art, the fundamental theories and principals of Taekwon-Do are different from those of any other martial art.