Periods within Korean History

Ko Chosun: Ancient Times
The history of Korea dates back to the year 2333 B.C. At that time the country was known as Ko Chosun - Chosun meaning "Land of the Morning Calm". People defended themselves and obtained food using only their hands. To develop their fighting skills, the ancient Koreans often imitated wild animals.

As humans developed weapons to obtain food and more effectively defend themselves, the ancient Koreans continued to practice fighting with stone weapons (spear and knife), kicks and hits, throwing, and swimming. Games or competitions featuring these events typically were part of rituals in the tribal states of Chosun, Puyo and Chinhan.

Being a master of the martial arts was considered one of the most important requirements for the national leaders of ancient times.

The Three Kingdoms Period: (Koguryo, Silla, and Paekje)

Koguryo
Founded on the northern part of the Korean peninsula, Koguryo was surrounded by hostile Chinese tribes to the north. In response, the kingdom organized a strong warrior corps called "Sonbae" to defend itself. ("Sonbae" means "a man of virtue who never recoils from a fight".) The Sonbae lived in groups learning history and literary arts as well as devoting themselves to their nation by constructing roads and fortresses for the benefit of society.

An integral part of the training of the Sonbae was the study of Taekkyon, the earliest known form of Taekwondo. The practitioners of this ancient martial art form often had to fight against mounted warriors; therefore, they incorporated high kicks in their techniques that would knock the warrior off of his horse. On the ground, the martial artist could more easily defeat his enemy.

Evidence of the practice of Taekkyon was found in paintings on the ceiling of the Muyong-chong, a royal tomb of the Koguryo dynasty located in Tunghua Province of southern Manchuria. These paintings depict two warriors facing each other in a Taekkyon stance. These and other mural paintings show unarmed combatants using techniques that are virtually identical to those of modern-day Taekwondo.

The mural paintings of Kakchu-chong, another royal tomb, show two men wrestling. This is clearly distinguished from the Taekkyon practice possibly demonstrating a martial art more closely related to today's Hapkido.

As in the ancient times, written documents indicate that people gathered at ritual sites to enjoy a variety of events including Taekkyon contests.

Silla
Although Taekwondo first appeared in the Koguryo kingdom, it is Silla's warrior nobility, the Hwarang, who are credited with the growth and spread of the art throughout Korea.

Silla was the smallest and least civilized of the three kingdoms. It faced constant threats from a variety of sources. Some accounts say that Silla was under constant attack by Japanese pirates; other accounts claim that it was threats from the Paekje Kingdom to the west and invasions by Koguryo from the north. Whatever the case, Sillans developed a system of martial arts that incorporated many of the aspects of Koguryo's Sonbae system.

By some accounts, troops sent by a Koguro king to help drive out the pirates taught a few select Sillan warriors the art of Taekkyon. The specially trained Sillan warriors then formed a military, educational, and social organization called the Hwarang-do or "the way of flowering manhood/mastery". Only sons of nobility were allowed membership in the Hwarang.

This organization represented the hope of the Koreans for a better future. The organization and its five guiding principles greatly contributed to the unification of the three kingdoms on the Korean peninsula in 668 AD and became the backbone of Silla society. These five principles, known today as the Five Regulations of Hwarang-do, are still taught to Taekwondo students today. They are: loyalty to the king (country), devotion to the parents, honesty to the friends, strength in battles, and using the martial arts only in the name of justice.

The Hwarang adopted Taekkyon as part of its basic training that also included archery, fencing, riding, and Subak (hand techniques). They not only regarded Taekwondo practice as an essential part of physical and military training, but also recommended it as a recreational activity. Encouraged to travel throughout Korea, Hwarang warriors were responsible for the spread of Taekkyon throughout Korea during the period known as Unified Silla from 668 - 935 AD.

Evidence of the practice of martial arts during the Silla Dynasty appears on the inner walls of the Pulkuk-sa Temple. There two "Diamond Warriors" are carved to protect Buddhism from devils; these warriors take Taekwondo-like stances.

Paekje
In the southwest of the Korean peninsula was the kingdom of Paekje where the practice of martial arts was not encouraged. However, a book of that period stated that a martial art making use of the hands and feet was used and practiced by the common people and the military.

In the year 320 A.D., the ruler of Paekje, ordered a training centre of martial arts to be built in the capital town. Each month in the time of the full moon there were contests in riding, fights with wooden sticks, and hand-to-hand fights. The competitors were trained at that school with the educational program including study of Buddhist doctrine and classic literature.

Koryo (935-1392)
After the end of the Silla dynasty in 935A.D., the new united state of Koryo was established from which the modern country of Korea gets its name. This time was characterized by constant wars against aggressors including an invasion by the Mongols in 1232 A.D. As a result, martial arts became an important part of military training and Subak or "hand fighting" was the most popular. In the mid-12th century the ruler Uijong organized military tournaments and was present at many of them demonstrating his support. During this period Taekkyon was sometimes called Subak as the two styles were very close. The practice of this martial arts was reserved for military men only.

There was a decline in the practice of the martial arts during the latter years of the Koryo dynasty. This was partially due to an increased emphasis on intellectual pursuits versus physical ones. In addition, the availability of gunpowder and new weapons reduced the military's interest in the martial arts to considering them simply folk games.

Chosun during the Yi Dynasty (1392-1910)
The Yi Dynasty was founded upon the ideals of Confucianism, resulting in the rejection of Buddhism and the emphasis of literary arts more than martial arts. Nonetheless, records from the era tell of Subak contests ordered by local officials for selecting soldiers or for entertaining kings at the times of feasts.
Unlike in the time of Koryo when it had been a privilege reserved for the military, Subak became more popular among the ordinary people during the Yi Dynasty. This was due to the publication of a book that taught Subak as a game.

In addition to its popularity amongst civilians, people who wanted to join the military serving the royal government were eager to learn Subak because it was one of the major tests applicants had to take. In the early 1400s the king ordered the masters of Taekkyon, Subak, and Sirum (Korean wrestling) to be found and to train the soldiers of the Korean army.

In the latter half of the Yi dynasty, archery was the only official martial art practiced by soldiers. When the Japanese invaded Korea in 1592, Taekkyon fighters helped defend their country. Despite the efforts of these fighters, Korea'a lack of military preparedness resulted in Korea being occupied for six years and the Koreans being forced to turn to China for assistance.

Once the Japanese were repelled, Chosun closed itself off from the rest of the world earning it the nickname "Hermit Kingdom". Only the Chinese were permitted access to the Korean peninsula, and, therefore, Korean martial arts during this period were greatly influenced by the Chinese forms. King Sunjo even invited military officers from the Ming Dynasty to demonstrate their fighting methods. As a result the King had one of his military officers compile a book, Muye Jebo - Martial Arts Illustrations, containing six fighting methods to be used for training of his military.

The Korean people suffered two invasions by the Manchurian Ching Dynasty of China during the first half of the 1600s. Although the invasions were short in duration, they were particularly brutal, resulting in an intense hatred of the Chinese by the Koreans and a desire to further strengthen the country's defenses. Thus in the mid-1700s, twelve more fighting systems were added to the original text and used in military training.

Finally, in 1790, King Junjo ordered Yi Duk-moo, Park Je-ga, and Pak Dong-soo to revise the Muye Jebo to include six more fighting methods. As a result, the martial arts treatise Muye Dobo Tongji was completed. A forerunner of today's Taekwondo was included in this book.

The king's intent in publishing Muye Dobo Tongji was to strengthen the national military forces through systematic, daily training. It is interesting to note that they included not only Chinese fighting methods in the manual but also the Japanese sword methods which had been totally ignored at the beginning of the dynasty. It is obvious that they wanted to prepare for both enemies.

In 1903, Japan invaded Korea and established a Japanese Governor General of Korea in 1905. This Japanese governor convinced Korean officials to sign a secret treaty giving Japan the right to occupy Korea. Finally in 1910, Japan annexed Korea and began the attempted extermination of Korean culture - including their system of martial arts.

Japanese Occupation of Korea (1910-1945)
During their occupation, the Japanese sought to eliminate the native martial arts through a combination of outlawing the Korean systems while actively encouraging the Japanese alternatives (Karate and Aikido). Young Koreans were sent as cadets to Japanese military schools; during their education, they were trained in these Japanese systems.

Although the Koreans embraced these new systems to a certain extent, they maintained some of the features of their martial arts heritage; in particular, the high, circling kicks were not a characteristic of Japanese systems and it is likely that the Japanese adopted these from the Koreans.

Banning practice of the Korean martial arts served two purposes for the Japanese: it erased a portion of the Korean's cultural identity while also eliminating a means of revolt. Despite the prohibition under the penalty of death, the Korean martial arts flourished as a physical and spiritual training method for anti-Japanese organizations.

Post-World War II
With the end of the War and the liberation of Korea from Japanese rule on August 15, 1945, an immediate need for those trained in the martial arts became apparent. As noted by Grand Master Duk Sung Son of the Chung Do Kwan (kwan means school):

"After the Japanese left Korea, everything was confused. There were many gangsters in Seoul. They threatened people and wielded a great deal of power because the police force was too undeveloped and weak to control all the crime. Fighting was rampant. People used their fists. Soldiers were being knocked out. There was a lot of violence and killing. The kwans stepped in to help the police. Anyone with a black belt in Tae Kwon Do was given an honorary badge. They offered us pistols, but we told them, 'No, we don't need a weapon. We have our Tae Kwon Do.' My students joined in to help keep the peace. Chung Do Kwan had a good reputation, [was] known for power. People respected the honesty, discipline and great strength [of these men]. Koreans were looking for power, hoping to put an end to all the confusion."

Martial arts experts began opening kwans all over Korea and training in the martial arts returned to the military. During this period, one individual became important to the future of Taekwondo; his name is Hong Hi Choi, a North Korean who studied Taekkyon techniques as a child and became a 2nd Dan black belt in Karate as a student in Japan during the Japanese occupation of Korea.

After WWII, Choi returned to Korea where he joined the army of the new Republic of Korea. He combined various indigenous Korean martial arts to develop a fighting system that blended native techniques with the hand hits of Karate. This combination of Korean and Japanese knowledge formed the basis of his teachings at the academy of martial arts he founded in 1953. Being a professional soldier, Choi introduced his system to the men under his command and its use spread as he rose to become a general in the Korean Army.

Shortly after the end of the Korean War (1950-1953), Choi became established as the Head of the Chung-do Kwan and sat on the board charged with developing a unified national martial art. Although some schools chose to maintain their own identities and systems (e.g., Hapkido), a number of Korean systems combined under the name Taekwondo - a name suggested by Choi.

Choi envisioned Taekwondo as an entire way of life, not simply a method of self-defense, a sport, or a way to keep in shape. To be a teacher, he believed that one must teach all aspects of the art, including the moral lessons.

On September 16, 1961, the Korean Taekwondo Association was established with General Choi appointed its president one year later. Choi organized the first international demonstration tour which led to the formation of the International Taekwondo Federation in 1966. This was a turning point in the history of Taekwondo for it brought the art before an international audience.

In 1971, the nomination of Taekwondo as the Korean national martial art led to the founding of the present Kukkiwon - headquarters of the national sport and site for various competitions.

In May 1973 the first World Taekwondo Championships were held in Seoul marking Taekwondo's entry as a world sport. On May 28, 1973, during the first Championships, representatives of the 19 countries participating established the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) with the Kukkiwon as its headquarters. As of August 2002, 169 nations were represented in the WTF.

Taekwondo as a sport reached another milestone in 1980 when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized Taekwondo. Subsequently, Taekwondo was adopted as a demonstration sport in both the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. With its success in these two Olympic Games, the IOC adopted Taekwondo as an official sport for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Expansion of the sport is planned for the 2004 Olympics including up to 124 participants in 8 weight categories (4 each for men and women).

Bibliography:
Tae Kwon Do: The Ultimate Reference Guide to the World's Most Popular Martial Art by Yeon Hee Park, Yeon Hwan Park, and Jon Gerrard, copyright 1989, 1999.
The Overlook Martial Arts Handbook by David Mitchell.
Tae Kwon Do for Women by Jennifer Lawler, copyright 2001
Taekwondo Handbook, The World Taekwondo Federation 1996 Edition
WTF Web Site
Muye Dobo Tongji: The Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts of Ancient Korea, translated by Sang H. Kim Ph.D.

Student Page