PRESENT DAY TAEKWONDO
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| Gen.Choi-Hong-Hi |
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| Dr.Un-Yang-Kim |
Martial art experts began opening their Taekwondo gymnasia all over the country and after the end of Korean War (1950-1953). After World War II, when Korea became independant, several kwans arose. These kwans were:
• Chung Do Kwan
• Moo Duk Kwan
• Yun Moo Kwan
• Chang Moo Kwan
• Oh Do Kwan
• Ji Do Kwan
• Chi Do Kwan
• Song Moo Kwan
The Kwans united in 1955 as Tae Soo Do. In the beginning of 1957, the name Taekwondo was adopted by several Korean martial arts masters, for its similarity to the name Tae Kyon. In 1961 the Korean Taekwondo Union arose from the Soo Bakh Do Association and the Tae Soo Do Association. In 1962 the Korean Amateur Sports Association acknowledged the Korean Taekwondo Union and in 1965 the name was changed to “Korean Taekwondo Association (K.T.A.)”. General Choi (09-11-1918 to 15-06-2002)was president of the K.T.A.
A good-will trip to North-Korea in 1966 caused General Choi to fall in disgrace in the eyes of the South-Koreans. Choi resigned as president of the K.T.A. and founded the I.T.F. on March, the 22nd of that same year. The headquarters of ITF were established in Canada.
Dr. Un Yong Kim became the 5th President (6th in number) of the KTA in 1971. Dr. Kim subsequently became the 1st and only President of the WTF in 1973.
Taekwondo was popularized among the Dan-grade black-belters within the country, also dispatching about 2,000 Taekwondo masters to more than 100 countries for foreigners' training.
After all, following the nomination of Taekwondo as a national martial art in 1971, the present Kukkiwon was founded in 1972 to be used as the central gymnasium as well as the site of various Taekwondo competitions. Then Taekwondo Federation came into existence currently having 191 countries as its members. In 1973 the biennial World Taekwondo Championships was organized. Again in 1974, Taekwondo was admitted to the Asian games as an official event.
In 1975 Taekwondo was accepted as an official sport by the U.S Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and also admitted to the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), followed by the adoption of official sports event by the international council of military sports (CISM) in 1976. In 1979, president of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was elected President of the world federation of non-Olympic sports. The WTF became an IOC-recognized sports federation in 1980, making Taekwondo an Olympic sport. Then the adoption of Taekwondo as an official event was followed by the World Games in 1981, the Pan-American games in 1986, and finally by the 2000 Olympiad held in Australia.
