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In spite of Korea's rich history of ancient and martial arts, Korean martial arts faded into obscurity during the late Joseon Dynasty. Korean society became highly centralized under Korean Confucianism, and martial arts were poorly regarded in a society whose ideals were epitomized by its scholar-kings. Formal practices of traditional martial arts such as subak and taekkyeon were reserved for sanctioned military uses. However, taekkyeon persisted into the 19th century as a folk game during the May-Dano festival, and was still taught as the formal military martial art throughout the Joseon Dynasty. |
In spite of Korea's rich history of ancient and martial arts, Korean martial arts faded into obscurity during the late Joseon Dynasty. Korean society became highly centralized under Korean Confucianism, and martial arts were poorly regarded in a society whose ideals were epitomized by its scholar-kings. Formal practices of traditional martial arts such as subak and taekkyeon were reserved for sanctioned military uses. However, taekkyeon persisted into the 19th century as a folk game during the May-Dano festival, and was still taught as the formal military martial art throughout the Joseon Dynasty. |
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⚫ | When the Japanese occupation of Korea ended in 1945, Korean martial arts schools (kwans) began to open in Korea. Most of the men who opened these schools had studied karate while in Japan during the occupation, though many had studied other martial arts as well, including Chinese martial arts and older, traditional Korean martial arts such as taekkyon. |
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− | In 1910 Korea was occupied by Imperial Japan and the practice of Korean folk traditions (including martial arts) was prohibited. This occupation lasted until 1945, the end of World War II. Traditional Korean martial arts -- already faded into relative obscurity before the occupation -- were almost completely eliminated by the occupation. |
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⚫ | When the Japanese occupation of Korea ended in 1945, Korean martial arts schools ( |
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[[Image:FiveKwans.png|middle|670px]] |
[[Image:FiveKwans.png|middle|670px]] |
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− | In 1952, at the height of the Korean War, a martial arts exhibition |
+ | In 1952, at the height of the Korean War, there was a martial arts exhibition in which the kwans displayed their skills. In one demonstration, [[Nam Tae Hi]] smashed 13 roof tiles with a punch. Following this demonstration, South Korean President [[Syngman Rhee]] instructed [[Choi Hong Hi]] to introduce the martial arts to the Korean army. By the mid-1950s, nine kwans had emerged. Syngman Rhee ordered that the various schools unify under a single system. The name "taekwondo" was submitted by either Choi Hong Hi (of the [[Oh Do Kwan]]) or [[Duk Sung Son]] (of the [[Chung Do Kwan]]), and was accepted on April 11, 1955. As it stands today, the [[Nine Kwans|nine kwans]] are the founders of taekwondo, though not all of the kwans used the name. The [[Korean Taekwondo Association]] (KTA) was formed in 1959-1961 to facilitate the unification. |
[[Image:EvolutionTKD.png|middle|670px]] |
[[Image:EvolutionTKD.png|middle|670px]] |
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− | In the early 1960s, taekwondo made its |
+ | In the early 1960s, taekwondo made its début worldwide with assignment of the [[Original Masters|original masters]] of taekwondo to various countries. Standardization efforts in South Korea stalled, as the kwans continued to teach differing styles. Another request from the Korean government for unification resulted in the formation of the Korea Tae Soo Do Association, which changed its name back to the Korean Taekwondo Association in 1965 following a change of leadership. The [[ITF Taekwon-do|International Taekwon-Do Federation]] was founded in 1966, followed by the [[WTF Taekwondo|World Taekwondo Federation]] in 1973. |
Since 2000, taekwondo has been one of only two Asian martial arts (the other being judo) that are included in the Olympic Games. It became a demonstration event at the 1988 games in Seoul, and became an official medal event at the 2000 games in Sydney. In 2010, taekwondo was accepted as a Commonwealth Games sport. |
Since 2000, taekwondo has been one of only two Asian martial arts (the other being judo) that are included in the Olympic Games. It became a demonstration event at the 1988 games in Seoul, and became an official medal event at the 2000 games in Sydney. In 2010, taekwondo was accepted as a Commonwealth Games sport. |