Tae Kwon Do is the traditional Korean martial art, which literally means the art of fist and foot fighting. It has been practiced for many centuries, tracing back as far as 50 BC, and became an Olympic event in the 2000 games in Sydney. The earliest records of Tae Kwon Do practice date back to about 50 BC (Park pg. 1). During this time, Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Silla, Koguryo, and Baekche. Silla was founded in 87 BC, Baekche in 18 BC southwest of the Korean peninsula, and Koguryo in 37 BC.
The earliest form of Tae Kwan Do was known as Taek Kyon. Known facts come from paintings on the ceiling of the Muyong-chong, a royal tomb from the Koguryo dynasty. The paintings depict unarmed combatants using techniques similar to those used by today’s Tae Kwan Do practitioners, including knife hand strikes, punches, and fighting stances. Silla, which was the least civilized of the Korean kingdoms, was frequently attacked by Japanese pirates along its coastlines. As a result, Silla requested assistance to deal with the constant harassment.
King Gwanggaeto, a Koguryo monarch, sent 50,000 soldiers into Silla to help drive out the pirates. At this time, Taek Kyon was introduced to the warriors of Silla and they swore to secrecy about this art. The newly taught warriors were given the name the Hwarang and formed a society of the Hwarang-do. They had a code which they used as their bible, known as the Five Codes of Human Conduct: be loyal to your country, be obedient to your parents, be trustworthy to your friends, never retreat in battle, and never make an unjust kill. Today’s Tae Kwan Doists use these codes, but with additions to the Five Codes.
These eleven commandments are: loyalty to your country, respect for your parents, faithfulness to your spouse, respect for your siblings, loyalty to your friends, respect for your elders, respect for your teachers, never taking life unjustly, indomitable spirit, loyalty to your school, and finishing what you begin. Taek Kyon was primarily used for sports and recreational activities to improve physical fitness after the battles. During the Koryo dynasty (935-1392), the martial art’s name was changed to Subak. Under King Uijong’s reign, it became a system of fitness and changed to a fighting art rather than a sport.
When the Japanese invaded Korea in 1909 and occupied the country, the Japanese general residing there banned the practice of all military arts for native Koreans. This sparked hatred among Koreans. Subak practitioners grew dramatically. Koreans organized underground camps, and Buddhist temples studied martial arts. Many Koreans left the country to study in China and Japan. When Korea became liberated, the first Dojang (school) was built in Seoul. The name changed again after the war in 1953 to Tae Soo Do. Two years later, it was renamed Tae Kwan Do.
Tae Kwan Do was an effective fighting system during the Vietnam War. The World Tae Kwan Do Federation formed on May 28, 1973, after showcasing the martial art worldwide. The first Tae Kwan Do championships occurred in Seoul in May 1973. Grandmaster Kyung Myung Lee, Master Sang H. Kim, and Master Kuk Hyun Chung are among the many practitioners pushing for Tae Kwan Do to become an Olympic sport. Tae Kwan Do was named an official sport of the 2000 Olympic games in Seoul after an exhibition tournament during the 1988 games.
