While many Korean Masters had visited America, and U.S. servicemen had been trained in Taekwondo on various occasions, Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee was the first permanent Taekwondo Instructor in American, arriving in the 1950's.
U.S. serviceman Edward Sell was the first non-Asian to reach Master level at the Chung Do Kwan in Korea, and was the first non-Asian to teach Taekwondo Chung Do Kwan in America when he established the United States Chung Do Kwan Association in Trenton, Michigan in 1967.
There are many people who are responsible for making Taekwondo famous both in Korea, and world wide. From the start, GM Won Kuk Lee founded the Chung Do Kwan as the first official Korean Dojang in 1944. Many of the leaders of later Kwans who helped to form Taekwondo as a unified system of Korean Martial Art were students of GM Won Kuk Lee, and graduates of the Chung Do Kwan.
Korean Army General, Hong Hi Choi (Choi, Hong Hi) was instrumental in pushing for the acceptance of the name Taekwondo, and required it to be taught to all soldiers in the ROK Army during the 1950's and 60's. General Choi published the first textbook on Taekwondo, and it was through his travels as a military leader that he and other Korean Army instructors were able to spread the art of Taekwondo around the world by giving demonstrations and teaching the military of foreign countries.
Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee was the first to open Taekwondo schools in America, and soon after him, Master Haeng Ung Lee (now deceased "Eternal Grandmaster Lee") co-founded the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) which rapidly spread throughout the U.S. in the late 60's, 70's, and 80's with franchised schools. In the 1980's GM Lee restructured his program, creating the Song Ahm forms, and went International with the Song Ahm Taekwondo Federation (STF).
In 1967, an American Air Force serviceman name Edward Sell opened the first Chung Do Kwan school in the U.S. (direct descent of GM Won Kuk Lee's CDK), in Trenton, Michigan. Grandmaster Sell (now 9th Dan, Kukkiwon) was the first non-Asian to become a "Master" of Taekwondo, and the first non-Asian to reach each level of 4th through 9th Dan.
By making movies with Bruce Lee, and many of his own films, actor and Martial Artist Chuck Norris helped boost the popularity of Taekwondo and other Korean Martial Art systems. Chuck Norris started out as a tournament fighter, and won many titles. With his series "Walker, Texas Ranger" Chuck Norris became an international household name, and easily identified with kicking and Korean Martial Art.
One of the key figures from the 1970's through 2000, to promote Taekwondo as a the Korean National Martial Art, and international sport, making its way into the Olympics, was Dr. Un Young Kim. Dr. Kim became the first president of the Kukkiwon (world Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea), and the first president of the World Taekwondo Federation that governs the sport of Taekwondo worldwide, and is the only regulating body recognized for the sport of Taekwondo by the International Olympic Committee.
In addition to the above individuals, there are countless Masters and Instructors who have done their part in various regions of the world to teach and promote Taekwondo in their own communities. Just like the creation of Taekwondo itself, its popularity is not due to just one individual, but was (and still is) a group effort.
Rhee Ki Ha arrived in the United Kingdom from Korea and established the United Kingdom Tae Kwon-Do Association as part of the The International Tae Kwon-Do Federation (ITF).
The British Taekwondo Control Board was established in 1982 and is the governing body for the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) in the United Kingdom.
The name of the Korean Martial Art that was being revived and restructured following the liberation of Korea at the end of World War II (1945), was submitted by ballot at a meeting on April 11, 1955, was reported to have been written as "태권" ("Taekwon" [tae-kwon]) which sounded like the ancient native influnce of
태껸 ("TaeKkeon" [tae-kkyeon] or Kicking method). It was voted on, and accepted by the leaders of the Kwan system (affiliated schools of Korean Martial Art), prominant Korean historians and political leaders). In 1961, the main Kwans organized into the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA), which was recognized by the Korea Sports organization in 1963. However, the name of Taekwondo was debated until 1965, when the KTA became permanently established as the authority over Taekwondo in Korea. The name Taekwondo was later approved by South Korean President, Syngman Rhee, as the official National Martial Art of Korea.
The name Tae Kwon Do, means - tae - "to stomp, trample", kwon -"fist" -, and do - "way, discipline"
1955
Yes, me!
Action Tae Kwon Do was created in 1972.
Kwon Tae-Man was born in 1941.
Tae kwon do originates from Korea.
Hwaorang
tae kwon doA+
Ha Tae-kwon was born in 1975.
Not quite sure when. But the name Tae Kwon Do is Korean and means "Hand and Foot" simply meaning that it is an open hand fighting and does not originally use weapons.
TKD stands for Tae Kwon Do. T stands for Tae (kick). K stands for Kwon (punch). D stands for Do (way).
The name "taekwondo" was either submitted by Choi Hong Hi, or Song Duk Son of Chung Do Kwan and was accepted on April 11, 1955.