Is tae kwon do hyung or kata?

Answer 1

Tae Kwon Do is the art of hand and foot fighting. The original empty hand pattens created by gen. Choi were templated from Shotokan Karate. The Gen was a 2nd Dan in Shotokan

upon his return to Korea. So the term Hyung is the appropriate reference for the original patterns. The Shotokan Kata,s were also included as part of the original 2nd to 4th Dan requirements for Tae Kwon Do in its infancy.

This information can be found in the first publication by Gen. Choi.