태권도 역사
HistoryofTaekwondo
“Two thousand years, two lineages, one art. Walk the path from Subak to the Olympic Games.”
57 BC, 668 AD
The Three Kingdoms
SubakandtheHwarang
“In the funerary murals of Goguryeo, painted over 1,500 years ago, two warriors face each other in what we now recognize as Subak, the direct ancestor of Taekwondo.”
In the kingdom of Silla, the Hwarang flourished: young elite warriors trained in martial arts, poetry and Buddhist philosophy. Their code of honor, the Sesok Ogye, established loyalty to the king, filial piety, trust among comrades, not retreating in battle, and not killing unnecessarily.
Taekkyeon, the art of the people, was practiced at festivals and ceremonies, with kicks and takedowns in circles of spectators.
“The warrior who knows his art, knows his nation.”
— Hwarang Code
~10th c., 1910
Art of the People
Taekkyeon,theartthatdanced
“While Subak was military training, Taekkyeon (태껸) became the art of the common people. During the Goryeo and Joseon periods, it was practiced at festivals like Dano and Chuseok, men competed in circles of spectators with fluid kicks, sweeps and rhythmic takedowns.”
Unlike other combat systems, Taekkyeon had an almost dance-like character: weight transferred from foot to foot with a natural sway, kicks launched in continuity with body movement. It was at once sport, spectacle and art.
Under Japanese occupation (1910-1945) it was suppressed along with all Korean cultural expression. It survived only through secret transmission. Today it is UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (2011), the only martial art in the world with that recognition.
“Taekkyeon is not fought, it is danced with the opponent.”
— Master Song Duk-ki (last great Taekkyeon master, 20th c.)
1910 – 1945
Occupation and Resistance
Theartthatsurvived
“When the Japanese Empire occupied Korea in 1910, it banned native martial arts. Taekkyeon survived underground, passed from master to student in secret.”
Paradoxically, many Koreans traveled to Japan and learned Karate (Shotokan, Shudokan, Goju-ryu). Upon returning, they fused those techniques with their native roots.
Liberation in 1945 opened the doors. The masters who had preserved the knowledge began teaching openly, sowing the seeds of what was to come.
“You cannot destroy an art that lives in the bodies of its people.”
— Korean oral tradition
1945 – 1966
Birth
The9Kwansandaname
“From 1945 to 1955, the 9 original schools (Kwans) emerged: Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Yun Moo Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan, Oh Do Kwan, Ji Do Kwan, Chi Do Kwan, Sang Moo Kwan and Song Moo Kwan. Each with its founder, its own style, its lineage.”
On April 11, 1955, in a contest convened by General Choi Hong Hi, the name 跆拳道, Taekwondo, was officially chosen. Tae (태): to destroy with the foot. Kwon (권): to destroy with the fist. Do (도): the way.
In 1959 the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) was founded, the first national organization that unified the 9 Kwans under a single federation.
“It is not just a martial art. It is a way.”
— Meaning of 道 (Do)
1966 – 1973
The Split
ITFvsWTthegreatschism
“Between 1966 and 1973, deep differences emerged over the direction of Taekwondo: its philosophy, its organization, and its place on the international stage.”
On November 30, 1972, the South Korean government inaugurated the Kukkiwon in Seoul, the World Headquarters of Taekwondo. On May 28, 1973 the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), now World Taekwondo (WT), was born.
Two lineages, one origin. The division persists today: each branch developed its own technical identity, its forms, its rules, and its vision of the art. Choose a branch to discover its full history.
“From one seed, two trees. From the same soil, different fruit.”
— ITF / WT Division
1966 · 1973 · The great schism
Herethepath
divides
“Two lineages born from one origin.
Choose your branch to continue.”