__NOTOC__ Choi Chang-keun ( 최창근; 崔昌根; born 1941), widely known as C. K. Choi, is a South Korean

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

,Tae Kwon Do Pioneers: Grand Master C. K. Choi
Retrieved on 5 January 2010.Park, S. H. (1993): "About the author." In H. H. Choi: ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence'', 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
Retrieved on 5 January 2010.Hawkins, P. (2005)
An interview with Grandmaster C. K. Choi
''Totally Tae Kwon Do'', 4:6–13.Pioneers of Taekwon-Do: Grand Master Choi Chang-keun
Retrieved on 13 January 2010. and one of the twelve

original masters of taekwondo The original masters of taekwondo is a group of twelve South Korean martial art masters assembled by the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) in the early 1960s to promote the newly established art of taekwondo.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: T ...

of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence''. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.A tribute to the original masters
(c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011. Following a career in the South Korean military, Choi emigrated to Canada in 1969, where he continues to teach his martial art.

Early life

Choi was born around 1941 in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, during the period of Japanese occupation. He began training in the martial arts in 1956, studying taekwondo and

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

under instructors Hong and Kim in the South Korean army, and subsequently trained under Lim Woo-jong, Director of Taekwondo for the Korean 1st Army. By 1960, Choi had attained the rank of 2nd ''dan'' in taekwondo. In 1961, he helped

Choi Hong-hi Choi Hong-hi (9 November 1918 – 15 June 2002) was a South Korean Army general, defector to North Korea, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to h ...

to create many of the present day Chang Hon patterns, Ge-Baek ''hyung''. In 1962, Woo promoted Choi to the rank of 3rd ''dan''. That same year, Choi became the first taekwondo world champion in sparring and patterns, and then became the first tae soo do world champion (full contact, heavyweight, 3rd–5th ''dan'' division) in 1963. He later became one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo and taught in Malaysia. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Choi was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.Cox, S. (c. 2004)
The history of Taekwon-Do and its founder
Retrieved on 3 February 2010.

Canada

Choi moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, in 1969. He opened the first taekwondo school there in 1970. He also established the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

's taekwondo club in the 1970s.UBC Tae Kwon Do
Retrieved on 22 January 2010. In 1973, Choi held the rank of 7th ''dan''.International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history
Retrieved on 3 February 2010. In 1980, Choi designed the

International Taekwon-Do Federation International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) is an international taekwondo organization founded on March 22, 1966, by General Choi Hong Hi (Korean: 최홍희) in Seoul, South Korea. The ITF was founded to promote and encourage the growth of the Kor ...

's (ITF) tree logo that is worn on the back of every ITF uniform.Kido Kwan Martial Art International: Origins of the Taekwon-Do Dobak (''sic'')
Retrieved on 31 January 2010. He attained the rank of 8th ''dan'' in 1981, promoted by H. H. Choi, and 9th ''dan'' in 2002. Choi has started a campaign to reunite ITF practitioners across the world.Tae Kwon Do Pioneers
Retrieved on 20 January 2010. He continues to teach, conduct grading tests, give seminars, and offer assistance to those involved in taekwondo.

References

External links

Tae Kwon Do Pioneers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Chang-keun Living people Historians of martial arts Martial arts school founders Sportspeople from Vancouver South Korean male taekwondo practitioners South Korean male karateka 1941 births

Early life

Canada

See also

References

External links