Choi Hong-hi
Who was Choi Hong-hi?
Korean army general who founded and developed the martial art of taekwondo, establishing it as an international sport and self-defense system.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Choi Hong-hi (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Choi Hong-hi was born on November 9, 1918, in Myongchon County, now part of North Korea, and passed away on June 15, 2002, in Pyongyang. He is widely known as the founder of taekwondo, the Korean martial art that grew from his efforts in the South Korean military during the 1940s and 1950s into a global sport and method of self-defense. His place in taekwondo history is debated, with some groups recognizing him as the main creator, while others downplay his role because of his later political choices.
Choi studied at Chuo University in Japan, where he was introduced to Japanese karate. On his return to Korea, he joined the military and rose to the rank of general in the South Korean Army. During his time in the military, he worked to develop and promote a uniquely Korean martial art, blending traditional Korean fighting styles with techniques he had learned in Japan. In 1955, he played a key role in naming this art taekwondo, and he spent the following years organizing its techniques and philosophy.
In 1966, Choi started the International Taekwon-Do Federation, the first international organizing body for the sport. This helped spread taekwondo to many countries during the late 1960s and the 1970s. However, political tensions in South Korea and disputes with the government led Choi to move the ITF headquarters to Canada in 1972. This move started a strained relationship with the South Korean authorities, who went on to develop their own taekwondo organization that would become World Taekwondo.
The most controversial part of Choi's life came when he arranged for taekwondo demonstrations in North Korea and eventually moved to Pyongyang, where he died in 2002. Many in South Korea and the global community saw this as a betrayal due to the political divide between the Koreas and the authoritarian nature of the North Korean government. As a result, World Taekwondo and related South Korean groups often leave him out of official histories or portray him negatively. The ITF, on the other hand, still regards him as the true founder and main developer of taekwondo.
Before Fame
Choi Hong-hi grew up during Japan's rule over Korea, a time when Korean cultural identity was heavily suppressed. Many Koreans had to engage with Japanese institutions to gain education or professional status. Choi studied at Chuo University in Japan, where he was exposed to both academic studies and Japanese martial arts, especially karate, which later influenced his creation of taekwondo.
After Korea was liberated in 1945 and the peninsula was divided, Choi joined the newly forming South Korean military. This gave him both the opportunity and resources to develop and promote his martial art. As a general, he had the authority to introduce structured martial arts training into the armed forces, laying the groundwork for taekwondo, which eventually spread globally.
Key Achievements
- Founded the International Taekwon-Do Federation in 1966, the first international governing body for taekwondo
- Played a central role in naming and systematizing taekwondo as a distinct Korean martial art in 1955
- Introduced mandatory martial arts training into the South Korean Army, helping establish taekwondo's institutional roots
- Spread taekwondo to dozens of countries through the ITF during the late 1960s and 1970s
- Developed the 24 ITF patterns, providing a codified technical and philosophical framework for the art
Did You Know?
- 01.Choi Hong-hi is said to have named taekwondo on 11 April 1955, the date now recognized by the ITF as the official naming of the art.
- 02.He relocated the headquarters of the International Taekwon-Do Federation from South Korea to Montreal, Canada in 1972 following disputes with the South Korean government under President Park Chung-hee.
- 03.Choi organized the first taekwondo demonstrations in North Korea in 1980, a move that permanently alienated him from South Korean authorities and mainstream Korean taekwondo organizations.
- 04.He developed a series of 24 formal patterns, known as teul, each named after significant figures or events in Korean history, which remain central to ITF taekwondo practice.
- 05.Despite dying in Pyongyang in 2002, Choi had spent much of his later life traveling internationally to promote the ITF version of taekwondo and had little permanent residence in North Korea until near the end of his life.