:: Our History

General Choi Hong Hi

The Founder of Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi (December) was born on November 9, 1918 in Hwa Dae, Myong Chung District. A sickly but stubborn boy, he was expelled from school at the age of 12 for leading a protest against the Japanese occupation.

He is considered the Founder of Taekwon-do and served as President of the International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF) for many years. General Choi Hong Hi (December) passed away in June 2002 after a long battle with cancer.

Later, his father convinced him to study calligraphy and Chinese characters. Choi’s tutor, Master Han II Dong, was also a master of Taek Kyon, the ancient Korean art of foot fighting that Han II Dong had secretly practiced during the Japanese occupation. Noticing Choi’s frail physique, he decided to teach her Taek Kyon as well.

Choi traveled to Japan, where he studied English, math, and karate. In Kyoto, he met a fellow Korean named Kim, who was a karate instructor and taught Choi the martial art. Choi also learned Shotokan karate under Funakoshi Gichin.

Just before leaving Korea, Choi apparently had a disagreement with a fighter named Hu, and the possibility of a future confrontation inspired him to train; in his own words, “I imagine these would be the techniques I would use to defend myself against the fighter, Mr. Hu, if he tried to make good on his promise to rip me apart when I finally got back to Korea.” . Choi reached the rank of 1st dan in karate in 1939 and then 2nd dan shortly thereafter.

General Choi’s military career began in 1937, when he was forced, like all Korean soldiers, to join the Japanese army as a student volunteer during the Japanese occupation of Korea.

Upon his return to Korea in 1942, he went into hiding to avoid being drafted into the Japanese army, but was eventually captured and in October 1943 began his basic training. He was soon arrested during an attempt to escape and join the underground Korean Liberation Army. Sent to Pyung Yang prison for treason, he was to have been executed on August 18, 1945, three days after the liberation of Korea.

In 1945, Choi enrolled in the Korea Military Academy, later being commissioned to the rank of second lieutenant in 1946. By 1948, he had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was a Taekyon instructor for the Republic of Korea military troops. . and the Korea-based American Military Police College.

At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Choi hurried back to Korea, where he was ordered to set up an officer training academy. In 1952 he was appointed chief of staff of the First Corps and soon found himself briefing General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the United Nations troops, on the situation at the front.

During the Korean War (1950-1953), Choi was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, becoming Chief of Staff of the Korean Army. In 1954, Choi was promoted to the rank of Major General.

From 1946 to 1951, Choi received promotions to first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and then brigadier general. Choi was promoted to major general in 1954.

During his military career, General Choi constantly researched various martial arts, mainly Taekyon, kung fu and karate, starting from each of them to create the original version of Taekwon-do.

General Choi formed the Oh Do Kwan (My Way Gym) where Korean soldiers were trained in General Choi’s new martial art to become the pioneering instructors of Taekwon-do. General Choi also commanded the Chung Do Kwan, which was the largest civilian gymnasium in Korea.

In 1955, General Choi led the Korean Army Taekwon-do Demonstration Team on a tour of China and Vietnam to promote their form of unarmed combat. After impressive displays, both countries adopted General Choi’s Taekwon-do as an integral part of their soldiers’ military training.

In 1961, the Korean Taekwon-do Association was formed with General Choi as its president. Over the next few years, he led Taekwon-do demonstration teams around the world. In 1965, the South Korean government approved General Choi’s martial art and declared it the national martial art of Korea.

As the Korean ambassador, and now a retired 3-star general, General Choi led a goodwill mission on tours of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

On March 22, 1966, General Choi Hong Hi (Dec) formed the International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF) in Seoul, Korea. At that time he had associations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, the United States, Turkey, Italy, Egypt, and Korea. Various foreign armies adopted Taekwon-Do and it was taught at West Point in the United States.

During the Vietnam War, the Taekwon-Do training of Korean and foreign soldiers was said to have a demoralizing effect on the Viet Cong.

In 1971, South Korean President Park Chung Hee began using Taekwon-Do as anti-communist political propaganda. Choi, fiercely against this, went into exile in Canada. He continued to teach Taekwon-Do throughout the world, including North Korea, and in 1974 he organized the first World Taekwon-Do Championship in Montreal.

Meanwhile, he had to endure death threats from the Korean Central Intelligence, attempts to kidnap him, and attempts on his life by armed assassins. On one occasion, his son and his daughter, who had stayed behind in South Korea, were kidnapped and threatened with death if Choi did not return to Korea. His response was “I choose Taekwon-Do over my son”. They were released.

By the year 2000, General Choi, the founder of Taekwon-Do, was heralded by the Taekwon-Do Times magazine as the most influential martial artist of the century.

General Choi died of cancer on June 15, 2002 in Pyongyang, North Korea. Choi is listed in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame with various titles: “Father of Taekwon-Do”, “Founder and First President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation” and “Founder of Oh Do Kwan”. Choi is survived by his wife, Choi Joon Hee; his son, Choi Jung Hwa; two daughters, Sunny and Meeyun; and several grandchildren.

Grandmaster Choi Jung Hwa

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.