Choi Jung Hwa was born on Cheju Island, Korea in May 1951 and has studied Taekwon-Do since the age of 7, not only with his father, but also with many pioneering and high-ranking Taekwon-Do Masters over the years. his visits and stays with General Choi. The earliest memories of training him date from the time General Choi was appointed as the Korean ambassador to Malaysia.

Those early days he spent training on the grass of the Embassy compound, as there were no established dojangs at the time. He grew up in an environment surrounded by Taekwon-Do due to General Choi’s hectic schedule and diligent work in spreading Taekwondo worldwide. Constantly surrounded by high-ranking visiting instructors, Choi Jung Hwa trained with many instructors during this period.

He served many years on the ITF Executive Board as General Secretary and later President Choi Jung Hwa would assist General Choi in many of his International Seminars around the world, later being appointed by the ITF to conduct these international courses. about General. on behalf of Choi.

All those who have had the privilege and opportunity to meet and train with President Choi have been immediately impressed by his dynamic personality, charisma and amazing Taekwon-Do skills.

Choi Jung Hwa has been a regular and popular visitor to our shores since the mid-1990s, impressing with his power and dynamic ability, as well as his great communication skills and motivation. All the Australian instructors who met him were very impressed with him and still speak highly of him, even those who are now non-ITF.

Administratively, President Choi held the position of ITF General Secretary for several years until ITF members elected him as General Choi’s successor as President by the ITF membership in 2001.

Unfortunately, that result did not suit those who had his own agenda in the ITF, and he soon broke away from those influences and continued the ITF under his own leadership.

“…for many years I tried to instigate change within the ITF from within, many aspects were rotten to the core, and with the hold that some people had on General Choi, it became impossible to change.

The members spoke democratically in electing me as the next president at last year’s ITF Congress in Italy. That appointment was seen as a threat to those who had their own future plans for the ITF after the Founder’s death, and used their influence over him to unconstitutionally overturn the election result. ”

Choi Jung Hwa was promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt in 2004 and to the rank of Grandmaster, he is the only son of Taekwon-Do Founder General Choi Hong Hi. He currently serves as the President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation, with administrative headquarters in London, England.

Choi Jung Hwa was democratically elected as President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation at the 2001 ITF Congress, to serve as President for the next 6 years. He humbly offered to keep General Choi as ITF President for the first 2 years of that term to give him the chance to retire with dignity in 2003.

Unfortunately, General Choi Hong Hi passed away less than 12 months later. Such is his humility that he refuses to accept the earned title of Grandmaster, feeling that General Choi was the only true Grandmaster of Taekwon-Do, preferring to be called simply Chairman Choi or Master Choi Jung Hwa.

He has made 8 seminar trips to Australia, most recently in 2018.

“Australia’s role is very important as the largest country in the Pacific region. For many years Australia has lacked a real presence in the ITF, considering the many senior ranks they have had been administratively inept. All of this has now changed thanks to the tireless efforts of Michael Muleta and his fellow leaders.” Choi explained.

“The United ITF Taekwon-Do organization is the only INO group representing the ITF in Australia. They are doing an excellent job for the ITF under the leadership of their president. In fact, they were among the first to denounce corruption in Vienna, and even in Australia, and they joined. Many of the problems Australia encountered mirrored those of the ITF in general. They have had a valuable cleaning process of their own. We have great faith in their ability… and they have already proven that, the task is not beyond them.”

Choi Jung Hwa still works extensively in the promotion of Taekwon-Do throughout the world and is credited with the introduction and development of Taekwon-Do in many Eastern European countries, such as Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Romania, the former USSR and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Choi Jung Hwa led the ITF historically returned to South Korea for the 2004 ITF World Championships. The ITF has now begun to re-establish itself in South Korea, Choi Jung Hwa’s birth country.

principles, that is, to maintain this purity of technique and philosophy that General Choi handed down to us… Don’t forget that standards include both morality and technique.”

His focus today is on the ‘Do’ emphasis in Taekwon-Do, much of which seems to have been lost in the pursuit of commercialism and sporting recognition.

As much as our president emphasizes the correct interpretation of ‘Taekwon’, its technique, application, theory and reason. Choi Jung Hwa also places an equal, if not greater, emphasis on ‘Do’. Therefore, the moral and cultural aspects of Taekwon-Do are consistently addressed by Choi Jung Hwa, so that everyone demonstrates and understands the ethical qualities required to hold any position within Taekwon-Do, particularly those of seniority and authority.

“I hope people diligently delve into moral culture and morality because that is what Taekwon-Do stands for,” he says. “We just want to pursue our goal of martial arts and we will continue to contribute for the benefit of society, not for a handful of athletes or for the glory of a country.”

“Let us not forget the legacy, nor the indelible mark that he has left in the lives of all those who are dedicated to the essence of the beloved art of his invention. I know my father would congratulate us all if we continued with the same vigor and enthusiasm that embodied his life, the promotion of Taekwon-Do throughout the world.” Choy said.

“Myself, I know that I am blessed. I have been given Taekwon-Do as a tool to guide me through life. When I was young, my father made me practice Tul after Tul, giving me advice as I did each one. No detail was left unchecked, no knowledge was deemed too irrelevant to pass on. When he felt a lack of enthusiasm, he said the things that the old say to the young and that the young simply consider to be nonsense that past generations said. “Do Tul and you will never be alone” or “the training will give you all the guidance you need”. Out of love for my father, I focused my mind and performed the exercises. As I matured, my mind was forced to develop a sense of concentration that would allow me to digest all the information that was passed to me. Now that my father is gone, however, when I play Chon-ji and my mind reaches that place of serenity, I can hear his voice, not as a memory but as an audible sound. I can hear the sounds of my childhood home, the unique echo of our Dojang with every breath or step. When I play Tul, I feel like my brothers and sisters all over the world are moving in unison, I’m not alone. When I play Tul, I hear my father’s voice guiding me as if he were standing next to me. I listen to his words of advice given at the most appropriate moments as if he knows my problems and is responding to them. I am blessed as are all practitioners who can put their hands on his heart and say that they train seriously and with pure intentions. (from Blue Cottage Taekwon-Do)

In 2018, Grandmaster Choi Jung Hwa was inducted as a ‘Taekwon-Do Legend’ into the ITF Australasian Hall of Fame.