A Brief History of Tae Kwon Do
The roots of Tae Kwon Do begin approximately 1300 years ago in what is referred to in the West as Korea (but which natives refer to as "Choson"). This peninsula was split into three kingdoms: Silla, Paekche and Koguryo. The kingdom of Silla (the smallest of the three) conquered Paekche in 660 AD and Koguryo in 668 AD; this was done with the support of the Chinese, who were then driven out in 676. This was the first time that the peninsula was controlled by a single indigenous ruling power.
Instrumental in this unification were the Hwarang ‑ societies of young Silla aristocratic men who followed the Hwarang‑Do. This was a military and philosophical code that emphasized not only martial skills but also academics, including art and music. Hwarang‑Do means "way of the flower of manhood". The martial art associated with the Hwarang was known as Tae Kyon and involved both armed and unarmed combat techniques.
The unification of the three kingdoms in the 7h century marked the beginning of the Silla dynasty, which lasted until 935 AD. It was followed by the Koryo dynasty, the name of which is the root of the modem name Korea. It was during the fall of the Silla dynasty that Hwarang‑Do began its decline. The Koryo dynasty was followed in 1392 by the Choson dynasty, which continued until 1910; it is also called the Yi dynasty after the name of the ruling family. By the end of this period, Hwarang‑Do had almost ceased to exist.
The Japanese occupied Korea from 1910 to the end of World War II in 1945; during this occupation, martial arts such as Tae Kyon were banned, though they were still practiced secretly. In 1945, when Korea was liberated, Second Lieutenant Choi Hang IE was released for prison camp and began teaching Tae Kyon to his soldiers. The art grew very rapidly and in 1955 was named Tae Kwon Do. It was soon brought to the United States and other countries, and today is the most widely practiced martial art. It is important to note that, like the Hwarang‑Do, Tae Kwon Do involves more than just physical fighting skills.