Taekwon-Do

"...the way of the hand and of the foot"

Taekwon-Do, a name officially adopted on April 11^th 1955 by the founder, General Choi Hong Hi, is a martial art with roots in the ancient Korean martial art of Taek Kyon and of Shotokan karate, a martial art Gen. Choi had learned while studying in Japan .  Taekwon-Do, which in Korean means “the way of the feet and the hands”, is a method of delivering offensive and defensive techniques against an opponent while adhering to principles of physics to produce the maximum force with the minimum of effort.  On March 22^nd, 1966, Gen. Choi created the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) and became its first President.  In 1972, the ITF headquarters moved to Toronto, Canada .  In 1985, the ITF headquarters moved to Vienna, Austria .  During his lifetime, Gen. Choi promoted Taekwon-Do and the ITF throughout his extensive travels. Today, Taekwon-Do is practiced in almost every country around the world.  Gen. Choi Hong Hi, the Father of Taekwon-Do, died on June 15^th, 2002.

Please visit www.tkd-itf.org to learn more.

Shortly after its founding in Korea , Taekwon-Do was introduced to eight other countries:  Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, USA, Turkey, Italy, and Egypt .  Because of the political alliance between South Korea and South Vietnam at the time war broke out between the communist and those who fought for democracy, a delegation sent by Gen. Choi and headed by Master Nam Tae Hi came to Vietnam to represent the ITF and to spread its philosophy.  In 1962, the delegation was received by (Grand) Master Van Binh who embraced the teachings of Taekwon-Do and worked in earnest to spread its message throughout South Vietnam.

General Choi Hong Hi and Gr. Master Van Binh in Vietnam