Choi Hong Hi
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| Choi Hong Hi | |
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| Born | 9 November 1918 Hwa Dae, Myong Chun District, Korea |
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| Died | 15 June 2002 Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
| Martial art practiced | Taekkyeon, Karate, Taekwondo |
| Teacher(s) | Han Il Dong (Taekkyeon), Kim Hyun Soo (Karate) |
| Rank | 9th dan taekwondo, 2nd dan karate |
- This is a Korean name; the family name is Choi.
Choi Hong Hi (최홍희; 崔泓熙; 9 November 1918–15 June 2002), also known as General Choi, was a South Korean army general and martial artist who is a controversial figure in the history of the Korean martial art of taekwondo. Choi is widely regarded as the 'Founder of Taekwondo'—most often by International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) organisations.[1][2][3][4] Others, such as World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) organisations, portray Choi as either an unimportant or dishonourable figure in taekwondo history, whether by omitting him from their versions of taekwondo history[5] or through explicit statements.[6]
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[edit] Early life
Choi was born on 9 November 1918 in Hwa Dae, Myong Chun District, in what is now the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.[7] Choi's father sent him to study calligraphy under Han Il Dong, who was also "a master of Taek Kyon, the ancient Korean art of foot fighting" (Park, 1993, p. 241).[7] In 1937, Choi travelled to Japan for further study.[7][8] In Kyoto, he met a fellow Korean with the surname Kim, who was a karate instructor and taught Choi this martial art.[7] Just before he had left Korea, Choi had apparently had a disagreement with a wrestler named Hu, and the possibility of a future confrontation inspired him to train hard; in his own words, "I would imagine that these were the techniques I would use to defend myself against the wrestler, Mr. Hu, if he did attempt to carry out his promise to tear me limb from limb when I eventually returned to Korea" (Park, 1993, p. 242).[7] Choi attained the rank of 1st dan in karate in 1939, and then 2nd dan soon after.[7]
[edit] Military career
Choi had been forced to serve in the Japanese army during World War II, but was implicated in a rebellion and imprisoned, during which time he continued practising martial arts.[7] Following the war, in January 1946, Choi was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Korean army.[7] From 1946 to 1951, Choi received promotions to first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and then brigadier general.[7] Choi was promoted to major general in 1954.[7]
[edit] Taekwondo
Choi combined elements of taekkyeon and karate to develop a martial art that he called "Taekwon-Do" (태권도; 跆拳道), which means "the way of the fist and the foot," and was so named on 11 April 1955.[7][9] Choi founded the Oh Do Kwan, and held an honorary 4th dan ranking in the Chung Do Kwan, of which he was later stripped.[6] ITF organisations credit Choi with starting the spread of taekwondo internationally by stationing South Korean taekwondo instructors around the world,[7] and have consistently claimed that ITF-style taekwondo is the only authentic style of taekwondo, most notably in early sections of its textbooks.[10] He is also the author of the first English Taekwondo syllabus book, entitled "Taekwon-Do" published by Daeha Publication Company in 1965.
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 (WTF).[8]
[edit] Death
General Choi died on 15 June 2002 in Pyongyang, North Korea.[8] Choi is listed in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame with various titles: "Father and Founder of Taekwon-Do," "Founder and First President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation," and "Founder of Oh Do Kwan."[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
^ The spelling of "taekwondo" varies widely in English usage. The WTF and affiliated organisations typically use "taekwondo," while the ITF and affiliated organisations typically use "taekwon-do" (as Choi used this spelling). In Wikipedia, the default spelling is "taekwondo." This article follows this standard, but uses "taekwon-do" when referring specifically to the ITF or affiliated organisations' names.
^ In Park's (1993) article, the note on Choi's promotion to 2nd dan in karate is followed by a note about the outbreak of World War II, which would suggest that Choi's 2nd dan promotion occurred no later than the early stages of that conflict (c. 1939–1940).
[edit] References
- ^ International Taekwon-Do Federation (Austria) Retrieved on 15 January 2008.
- ^ International Taekwon-Do Federation (Canada) Retrieved on 15 January 2008.
- ^ International Taekwon-Do Federation (North Korea) Retrieved on 28 January 2008.
- ^ General Choi (ITFNZ) Retrieved on 15 January 2008.
- ^ Present Day Taekwondo (WTF) Retrieved on 29 January 2008.
- ^ a b Son, D. S. (1959): Letter in Seoul Shinmoon newspaper (16 June 1959) Retrieved on 20 September 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Park, S. W. (1993): About the author. In H. H. Choi: Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence, 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
- ^ a b c Goldman, A. L. (2002): Choi Hong Hi, 83, Korean general who created Tae Kwon Do, The New York Times (29 June 2002). Retrieved on 26 December 2007.
- ^ Kim, S. J. (2007): History of Taekwondo Retrieved on 18 September 2007.
- ^ Franks, A. (1993): Taekwon-Do and imitators. In H. H. Choi: Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence, 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 10–11). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
- ^ Taekwondo Hall of Fame Retrieved on 12 January 2008.
[edit] External links
- The Founder: Biography at TaekwonDo-Legacy.
- Obituary: General Choi Hong-hi in The Guardian, 9 August 2002.
- Ode to General Choi by Scott Downey.
- General Choi Hong Hi at the Taekwondo Hall of Fame, including a photograph of Choi's grave.
