General Choi Hong Hi was the Father of Tae Kwon Do, the martial art that is now practiced by millions of people Worldwide in more than 120 Countries. Tae Kwon Do was developed by Choi in Korea during the 1940s as a combination of Korean Taek Kyon and Japanese Karate. A method of unarmed combat for practical self-defense, it is concerned with both the physical and the mental, emphasizing self-discipline, humility and a sense of justice.

In 1955 Choi gave it its name, comprising Tae (which means to kick with the foot), Kwon (to strike with the fist), and Do (art).Choi Hong Hi was born on November 9, 1918 in the Myong Chun district of what is now North Korea. A sickly but willful child, he was expelled from school at the age of 12 for leading a protest against the occupying Japanese.

His father then persuaded him to study calligraphy and Chinese characters. Choi's tutor, Master Han Il Dong, was a master of Taek Kyon, the ancient Korean art of foot fighting which Han Il Dong had practiced in secret throughout the Japanese occupation. Noticing Choi's frail physique, he decided to teach him Taek Kyon too.

In 1937, Choi went to Japan to continue his education. Besides English and Mathematics, he studied Karate, attaining a 2nd Degree Black Belt, on his return to Korea in 1942, he hid to avoid conscription into the Japanese Army, but was eventually caught, and in October 1943 began his basic training.

He was soon arrested during an attempt to escape and join the underground Korean Liberation Army, sent to Pyung Yang prison for treason, he was due to have been executed on August 18 1945, three days after Korea was liberated. In prison, Choi had practiced a combination of Taek Kyon and Karate, in 1946,he was one of the founders of the new Korean Army, where he trained his company in his new martial art.

In 1949, he went to Fort Riley Grand General School in Kansas, where he gave Americans their first taste of what was to become Tae Kwon Do.

On the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Choi hurried back to Korea, where he was ordered to set up an officer-training academy, in 1952, he was appointed chief of staff of the First Corps, and soon found himself briefing General Douglas MacArthur; the Supreme Commander of the United Nations troops, on the situation at the front line.

In 1953, Choi formed the crack 29th Infantry Division known as the "Fist Division" (because of its flag with Choi's fist over the Korean peninsular), this division, based at Cheju Island, would eventually produce instructors in Tae Kwon Do for the entire Korean army.

April 11, 1955 Tae Kwon Do was chosen as the official name for this dynamic kicking art.

In 1954, Choi was promoted to Major General, after 1955, Tae Kwon Do quickly spread as a recognized art in Korea, in 1959, Choi and 19 of his Black Belts toured the Far East, and when the International Taekwon-Do Federation was founded in 1966, it had associations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, America, Turkey, Italy, Egypt and Korea.

Tae Kwon Do was taken up by several foreign armies, and was taught at West Point in America, during the Vietnam War, the Tae Kwon Do training of Korean and other foreign soldiers was said to have had a demoralizing effect on the Viet Cong.

In 1971, the South Korean president Park Chung Hee began to use Tae Kwon Do as anti-communist political propaganda. In 1971, the South Korean government refused Choi permission to teach taekwondo in North Korea; as a result, Choi went into exile in Canada and the South Korean government formed the World Taekwondo Federation.

He continued to teach Tae Kwon Do throughout the world, including in North Korea, and in 1974 he organized the first Tae Kwon Do world championship in Montreal.

All the while, he had to endure death threats from Korean Central Intelligence, attempts to kidnap him and attempts on his life by armed assassins.

On one occasion his son and daughter, who had stayed behind in South Korea, were kidnapped and their lives threatened if Choi did not return to Korea. His response was "I choose Tae Kwon Do over my son". They were freed.

General Choi Hong Hi continued to practice and promote his art until his death on June 15,2002. As recently as May, he could be seen giving Tae Kwon Do demonstrations.

Following his death, the ITF divided into three separate groups each claiming to be the only legitimate ITF organization. The three ITF groups were originally identified by their bases of operation: Austria (led by Trân Triêu Quân),Canada (led by Choi's son, Choi Jung Hwa), and North Korea (led by Chang Ung). Choi is listed in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame with various titles: "Father and Founder of Tae Kwon Do," "Founder and First President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation," and "Founder of Oh Do Kwan."

For Gen. Choi's last interview click here