The original masters of taekwondo is a group of twelve South Korean

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

masters assembled by the

Korea Taekwondo Association Korea Taekwondo Association ( 한국 태권도 협회; 韓國跆拳道協會; KTA), originally the Korea Tang Soo Do Association (1961),Park, S. H. (1993): About the author. In H. H. Choi: ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence'', 3rd ed ...

(KTA) in the early 1960s to promote the newly established art of

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 ...

.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence''. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.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.A tribute to the original masters
(c. 2007). Retrieved 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011. retrieved on 7 November 2011.
Retrieved on 5 January 2010.Early Masters of Tae Kwon Do
(DVD). Directed by D. Warrener (2005). Rising Sun Productions.
(DVD). Compiled by P. McPhail (c. 2007). PaulM Taekwon-Do. In alphabetical order following Korean naming conventions, they are: Choi Chang-keun,

Choi Kwang-jo Choi Kwang-jo (born March 2, 1942) is a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo, and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defe ...

, Han Cha-kyo, Kim Jong-chan, Kim Kwan-il, Kong Young-il,

Park Jong-soo __NOTOC__ Park Jong-soo (1941 – 27 November 2021) was a South Korean master of taekwondo and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence ...

, Park Jung-tae, Park Sun-jae, Rhee Chong-chul, Rhee Chong-hyup, and Rhee Ki-ha. The group came under the leadership of

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 ...

(1918–2002), inaugural President of the KTA and later founder of 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 K ...

(ITF), and

Nam Tae-hi Nam Tae-hi (남태희; 南太熙; 19 March 1929 – 7 November 2013) was a pioneering South Korean master of taekwondoWorld Taekwon-Do Alliance: Grand Master Nam Tae-hi
Retrieved on 22 February 2009.
Retrieved on 8 January 2010.Burdick, D. (1990)

Retrieved on 8 January 2010.Van Binh Self Defense Academy: History of Taekwon-Do
Retrieved on 8 January 2010. known as the Father of Vietnamese Taekwondo. Many of these men held senior positions in the ITF under Choi, but several left over time. Most of the men settled in North America, while others settled in Europe or Australia. The phrase "original masters of taekwondo" is used to describe this group of men, but does not indicate that they were the first (or original) masters in the KTA. The leaders of the nine kwans that unified to form the KTA was a different group of men who, while perhaps senior to some of those listed as "original masters of taekwondo", were practising arts with other names, such as tae soo do, kong soo do, and others. Some of those leaders resisted using the name taekwondo. The men in the present group were among the first to adopt and promote the name taekwondo.

History

Demonstrations and tours

The original masters of taekwondo featured in the earliest demonstrations of taekwondo as a

Korean martial art Korean martial arts (Hangul: 무술, Hanja: 武術, ''musul'' or Hangul: 무예, Hanja: 武藝, ''muye'') are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non- ...

outside South Korea. The following table summarises demonstrations or instructional tours for which references are available.

Relationship with H. H. Choi

Many of the original masters of taekwondo went on to prominent roles in the ITF in the late 1960s and 1970s. As time passed and many of these masters left the ITF, their photographs were removed from Choi's series of taekwondo textbooks and replaced with photographs of current ITF masters.Choi, H. H. (1993): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence'' (3rd ed.). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation. One of the main reasons for their departure was Choi's insistence on initiating relationships with North Korea, during a period in which that country and South Korea were "technically at war" (Gillis, 2003, p. 104; C. K. Choi, 2010, p. 147),Gillis, A. (2003)
Tiny master
''Toro'', June–July 2003:100–107. Retrieved 31 January 2010.Choi, C. K. (2010): ''The Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do & early history'' (rev. ed.). Vancouver: Choi Chang-keun. or at best, had "no diplomatic relations" (C. K. Choi, 2010, p. 147) or "no diplomatic ties" (World Taekwon-Do Alliance). At least one of the masters reported that it was with regret that he stopped supporting Choi. North and South Korea are still considered to be technically at war.
CNN (4 June 2004). Retrieved 2 December 2010. Seven of the masters settled in North America: Chang-keun Choi (Canada, 1970), Kwang-jo Choi (USA, 1970),
Retrieved on 22 January 2010. Cha-kyo Han (USA, 1971), Jong-chan Kim (Canada),Anslow, S. (2004)

Retrieved on 8 January 2010. Young-il Kong (USA, c. 1968),
Retrieved on 29 January 2010. Jong-soo Park (Canada, 1968), and Jung-tae Park (Canada, 1970).TaeKwonDo Times: Taking the Wheel – More with Grandmaster Linda Park
Retrieved on 14 February 2009. The leaders of the group also settled in North America: H. H. Choi moved to Canada and T. H. Nam settled in the USA. Three of the masters settled in Europe: Kwang-il Kim (West Germany, now Germany, c. 1970), Sun-jae Park (Italy, c. 1970), and Ki-ha Rhee (United Kingdom, 1967). Two of the masters settled in Australia: Chong-chul Rhee (c. 1965), and Chong Hyup Rhee (c. 1970). C. K. Choi, J. C. Kim, Y. I. Kong, J. S. Park, and K. H. Rhee have maintained the strongest links with the ITF. H. H. Choi had personally promoted C. K. Choi to 8th ''dan'' (1981), Y. I Kong to 9th ''dan'' (1997),
Retrieved on 22 February 2009.Pioneers of Taekwon-Do: Grand Master Kong Young-il
Retrieved on 13 January 2010. and K. H. Rhee to 9th ''dan'' (1997).

Biographies

The following table summarises the status of the twelve original masters of taekwondo.

Choi Chang-keun

Choi Chang-keun was born around 1940 in Korea. He began his martial arts training in the South Korean army 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 ...

. Choi taught taekwondo in Malaysia from 1964, and moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 1970. In 1973, he held the rank of 7th ''dan''. Choi was promoted to 8th ''dan'' in 1981 by H. H. Choi, and attained the rank of 9th ''dan'' in 2002. He is still based in Vancouver.

Choi Kwang-jo

K. J. Choi was born on 2 March 1942, in

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

, Korea. His martial art training began when he was still a child, learning

kwon bup ''Gwonbeop'' (권법무) is a system of unarmed methods in Korean martial arts which was developed during the Joseon era (15th to 19th centuries). It is the Korean rendition of the Chinese ''quan fa'' (拳法). Early history Destruction of the Ko ...

. Choi served in the South Korean military and came into contact with H. H. Choi there. Around 1966–1967, he taught taekwondo in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Choi moved to the United States of America in 1970 to seek medical treatment for injuries sustained from martial arts training. In 1987, he founded his own martial art system and organisation,

Choi Kwang-Do Choi Kwang Do is a martial art developed by Choi Kwang-jo. The style relies more on flexibility and fluidity of movement as opposed to the more rigid lines of some other martial arts. To achieve this it employs yoga-based stretching to develop the ...

. He is based in Atlanta. Choi holds the rank of 9th ''dan'' in his own martial art,

Han Cha-kyo

C. K. Han was born on 20 July 1934 in Seoul, Korea.Spiegel, A. B. (1995)
Grandmaster Han Cha-kyo: The humble giant
''Tae Kwon Do Times'' (January 1995). Retrieved 22 January 2010. He trained under three martial art masters: Tae-hi Nam, Duk-sung Son, and Woon-kyu Um. Han was the first of the original masters of taekwondo to demonstrate overseas, participating in the March 1959 tour of Taiwan and Vietnam. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1971, settling in Chicago. Han founded his own organisation, the Universal Tae Kwon Do Federation, around 1980.Han's Tae Kwon Do: History of Tae Kwon Do
Retrieved on 22 January 2010. He continued teaching taekwondo until his death in 1996.Han's Tae Kwon Do: About Han's Tae Kwon Do
Retrieved on 22 February 2009.

Kim Jong-chan

J. C. Kim was born in 1936.Grandmaster Jong Kim
Retrieved on 15 September 2014. 1953 Began studying martial arts with Kim Bong-gil 1955 General Choi announced and created the name TAEKWON-DO on 11 April. 1956 Joined the Military Police Academy, studied various Martial Arts under Kim Sung-bok 1957 Under the direction of General Ha built the first TAEKWON-DO Academy of the 7th Infantry Division with Major Park. Introduced to General Choi. 1958 Attended the First Instructors course held under the First Army in Won Ju, Korea, led by Major Woo (2nd Dan Black Belt), Lieutenant Hong (1st Dan Black Belt) and Captain Nam (3rd Dan Black Belt)Appointed to the Special Security Mission for the Army Commander. Trained in all Martial Arts for 8 months. 1960 Promoted to 2nd Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon-Do 1962 Appointed as Head Instructor of the Oh Do Kwan Headquarters school in Seoul. Organized the world's first TAEKWON-DO Championships, held in Wonju, Korea, where CK Choi became free sparring and patterns champion 1963 Promoted to Tae Soo Do (Karate) 3rd Degree Black Belt 1964 Trained directly under General Choi for four months, where the 24 Tae-Kwon Do patterns were formed. Assisted General Choi with the First TAEKWON-DO Book. Introduced Park Jong-soo to General Choi. Appointed as the first Instructor to Instructors for the Minister of Defense (Army, Navy, Air Force & Marine Corps.) 1965 Organized TAEKWON-DO as primary martial art trained in the Korean military. 1966 The International TAEKWON-DO Federation (ITF) was formed. Appointed as Chief Instructor and a founding member of the ITF. -Taught Tae-Kwon Do Patterns, Chon-Ji to Choong-Moo to instructor Jhoon Ree. Thereafter Jhoon Rhee went to USA and published the TAEKWON-DO Handbook. Taught Tae-Kwon Do Patterns Chon-Ji to Choong-Moo to instructor Kim Han-chan. Thereafter Kim Han-chan went to Argentina. Appointed as the first Tae Kwon Do Chief Instructor to the Korean National Police Force, by the Minister of Homeland Affairs 1967 Developed the first International Instructors course for the ITF, where the minimum student entrant would possess a 4th Dan black belt. 1968 Invited by the Singapore government to introduce TAEKWON-DO. Instructed in Malaysia Perak State. 1969 Organized the first Malaysian TAEKWON-DO Championships in Penang 1970 Arrived in Vancouver BC Canada to promote and demonstrate TAEKWON-DO with C.K. Choi at UBC, SFU, & various high schools. 1971 Organized with Han Cha-kyo, the first Asian TAEKWON-DO Championships, held in Hong Kong. Taught Army Cadets in New Westminster BC Arrived in Montreal Canada 1972 Opened the first TAEKWON-DO School in Montreal. 1973 Appointed as the first Chairman of the Technical Committee of the International TAEKWON-DO Federation. Promoted to 7 Dan black belt. Organized the World's First TAEKWON-DO Masters Demonstration, at the Montreal Forum where 27 Masters attended. 1974 Organized the World's First TAEKWON-DO Championships held at the Montreal Forum. 24 countries participated. 1975 Invented the stretching machine “the Stretchersizer” 1976 Invited as the Instructor, of the European Instructors course held in Glasgow U K. 1977 Studied Bio Physical Education at Concordia University 1978 Moved to New Westminster BC 1979 Trained 21 TAEKWON-DO instructors in Argentina including Dr Hector Marano and Pablo Trajtenberg, and with an unprecedented move, promoted several of them directly from 2nd Dan to 4th Dan Black Belts. 1981 Promoted to 8th Dan Black Belt. Elected as the Secretary General of the ITF. Appointed as the Chairman of the Merging Committee for the ITF and WT. As Chairman of the merging committee, negotiated the merging agreement between the ITF and the WT, that was submitted to the International Olympic Committee by Un-yong Kim, in order to have Tae Kwon- Do accepted as an Olympic sport. 1982 Quietly resigned from the ITF and all Tae Kwon do duties, due to opposition to General Choi’s controversial political statements made in North Korea 1991 Promoted to 9th Dan Black Belt 2015 JC KIM`S two sons Rich Kim and Ed Kim are following in his footsteps, are currently and have been for over 30 years, teaching Tae Kwon-Do in Surrey, BC.
Retrieved on 5 January 2010. In 1979, ranked 7th ''dan'', he taught and demonstrated in Argentina along with C. K. Choi, J. T. Park, and K. H. Rhee. A letter by Kim published in the July 1985 issue of ''Black Belt'' magazine lists his title at the time as President of the 'World Tukido Council.'Kim, J. C. (1985): "All for one." ''Black Belt'', 23(7):6, 108. He is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Kim Kwang-il

K. I. Kim contributed to the introduction of taekwondo into

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

.Kampfsportclub Dojang 78: Wir über uns
. Retrieved 15 January 2010. He was head instructor of the ITF in West Germany, but was relieved of this duty in October 1971. In 1975, Kim was ranked 6th ''dan''. He promoted Rolf Becking, head of the ITF Germany Technical Committee, to the rank of 2nd ''dan'' in 1976 in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, West Germany.International Taekwon-Do Federation Deutschland: Rolf Becking
. Retrieved 5 January 2010. Between 1974 and 1977 Kim had a restaurant in Stuttgart and had completed training as a Brewmeister prior to 1974.

Kong Young-il

Y. I. Kong was born in 1943 in Korea. He began training in the martial arts as a child in 1952, starting with

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throu ...

karate. From 1963 to 1967, Kong served in the South Korean army, attaining the rank of Sergeant. He participated in several demonstration tours across the world. Following a career in the South Korean military, Kong emigrated to the United States of America just before or in 1968. He and his younger brother, Young-bo Kong, founded the Young Brothers Taekwondo Associates in 1968. Kong was promoted to the rank of 9th ''dan'' in 1997 by H. H. Choi in Poland. He is based in Las Vegas.

Park Jong-soo

J. S. Park was born in 1941 in Chung-Nam, Korea. He trained in taekwondo under H. H. Choi.Pioneers of Taekwon-Do: Grand Master Park Jong-soo
Retrieved on 13 January 2010. In 1965, he was invited to be the coach of the German Taekwon-Do Association, and moved from South Korea to West Germany. The following year, he moved to the Netherlands and founded the Netherlands Taekwon-Do Association. In 1968, Park settled in Toronto, Canada. Park holds the rank of 9th ''

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

''. Grandmaster Park Jong-soo passed away November 26, 2021.

Park Jung-tae

J. T. Park was born in 1943 or 1944 in Korea.Younglai, R. (2002)
Obituary of Grand Master Park
Retrieved on 14 February 2009.Malaysian Global Taekwondo Federation: GTF Founder/History
Retrieved on 14 February 2009. He began training in the martial arts as a child, starting with

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

before moving on to

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and then taekwondo. From 1965 to 1967, Park directed military taekwondo training in Vietnam. He emigrated to Canada where he met his future wife, Linda, in Toronto in 1970. In 1984, Park was ranked 8th ''dan'' in the ITF.IIMA: Bernie Korent
Retrieved on 16 February 2009. He founded his own organisation, the Global Taekwon-Do Federation (GTF), on 14 June 1990—the year after his departure from the ITF due to North–South Korean political issues.
Retrieved on 14 February 2009.
Retrieved on 14 February 2009. Park was based in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

until his death in 2002.

Park Sun-jae

S. J. Park is a pioneer of taekwondo in Italy.Lee, K.-M. (2000)
Taekwondo on the world stage
''Koreana: A quarterly on Korean art and culture'', 14(4):20–23. Retrieved 18 January 2010. In 1964, he visited Croatia to present seminars on his art. He introduced taekwondo to Italy around 1968.Fumarola, M. (c. 1998)
Taekwondo Magazine: Il Taekwondo in Italia
. Retrieved 18 January 2010. In 1968, he was ranked 5th ''dan'',Sport & Recreation in Croatia: Taekwondo
Retrieved on 17 May 2010. and in 1975, he was ranked 7th ''dan''. He was elected Vice-President (Italy) in the European Tae Kwon Do Union (within the

World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo, called the World Taekwondo Federation until June 2017, is an international federation governing the sport of taekwondo and is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The ''World Taekw ...

) at the union's inaugural meeting in 1976.Anonymous (1977): "European Tae Kwon Do Union inaugurated at first European meet." ''Black Belt'', 15(1):11. In 2002, he was a member of the arbitration board for the WT's World Cup Taekwondo championship in Tokyo.World Taekwondo Federation: 2002 World Cup Taekwondo
(2002). Retrieved 22 April 2010. On 15 February 2004, the Executive Council of the WT elected him as Acting President of the WT following Un-yong Kim's resignation from the presidency of the organisation.
(2009). Retrieved 17 May 2010. He is Vice President (Italy) of the WT.
(2009). Retrieved 17 May 2010. Park was President of the Federazione Italiana Taekwondo (Italian Taekwondo Federation) around 1998, and still held the position as of 2008Roma 2008: European Taekwondo Championships
(24 April 2008). Retrieved 20 May 2010. and 2009.Kang, S.-W. (2009)

''The Korea Times'' (14 October 2009). Retrieved 20 May 2010.

Rhee Chong-chul

C. C. Rhee was born around 1935 in Korea. As a youth, he trained in martial arts,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, boxing,

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

, and weights. Later, he was an instructor in the Korean Marines for three years, teaching unarmed combat to the Marine Commandoes, Marine Brigade Headquarters, and the Marine 2nd Infantry Division. Rhee helped introduce the art of taekwondo to Southeast Asia—most notably in Malaysia and Singapore, but also in Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Brunei. He founded his own organisation, Rhee Taekwon-Do, in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia, around 1965. Rhee came to be known as the Father of Australian Taekwondo. He is based in Sydney.

Rhee Chong-hyup

C. H. Rhee was born around 1940 in Korea. In the mid-1960s, he contributed to the introduction of taekwondo to Malaysia and Singapore. He arrived in Australia in 1970 and settled in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. Rhee is in charge of Rhee Taekwon-Do operations in Melbourne.Anonymous (2005)
Crunch time for students
''Latrobe Valley Express'' (29 August 2005). Retrieved 5 January 2010.
Retrieved on 5 January 2010.

Rhee Ki-ha

K. H. Rhee was born on 20 March 1938 in Seoul, Korea. His martial arts training began when he was around 7 or 8 years of age, learning judo from his father. He later learned karate from one of his schoolteachers. When Rhee served in the South Korean military forces, he came into contact with H. H. Choi and learned taekwondo in the 35th Infantry Division. From February 1964, he taught taekwondo to

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

personnel in Singapore. He emigrated to London on 2 July 1967. He attained the rank of 8th ''dan'' in 1981, and was promoted to 9th ''dan'' by H. H. Choi on 1 July 1997 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia. Rhee came to be known as the Father of British Taekwondo, as well as the Father of Irish Taekwondo. He is now based in Glasgow.

References

External links

Tae Kwon Do Pioneers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Original Masters Of Taekwondo Taekwondo