History of TKD References - Any Suggestions?

[Kamaria Annina]

For my 1st dan black belt testing, I have to write a 4 page essay on the History of TKD, from its origin, to modern day times. I'm a bit confused on where to begin, would you have any suggestions as to some good resources?

 

[Zepp]

First of all, I strongly suggest you ignore any source that tells you Tae Kwon Do is 2000 years old. Korea may have a 2000 year-old tradition of martial arts, but Tae Kwon Do came to be in the 20th century.

As for good sources, you can start here at Korean Martial Arts resource: http://www.martialartsresource.com/korean/korframe.htm

The least biased, and most thorough source of information there (and perhaps anywhere) is the book, The Modern History of TaeKwonDo, by Won Sik Kang and Kyong Myong Lee. The version there is a very abridged version however. You may want to do a Google search to try and find a more extended .pdf version.

Since most paper resources you'll find will be biased towards a particular organization, I would suggest trying to research the histories of the major organizations and individuals in TKD's history. The WTF, the ITF, General Choi Han Hi, and Jhoon Rhee all have plenty of information written about them on and off-line. (You might also try looking up Son, Duk Sung, but there isn't much biographical information about him that I'm aware of.) I'm sure everyone else here can give you even more names.

Oh I almost forgot. Do a search in this forum for our previous discussions of the "history of TKD", and also for the "TKD FAQ". That should provide you with even more sources.

 

[Andy Cap]

Yes, beware the bias. Everyone is biased - so don't think that any one person or document will give you the absolute truth.


here is a well organized document that gives you one version of the tale from someone that has been around it all. Remember though, this is his depiction. http://www.worldjidokwan.com/history/the_modern_history_of_taekwondo.html

Good luck. Perhaps you will publish your findings here?

 

[Gemini]

I'd probably do it with all the popular suggested origins and some sources backing up each claim. If you have a Korean Master, I think I would tone down the "It came from Japan" theory. It would probably get you a triple lindsey for your break. lol.

Besides the extensive sources that you can access from this board, there are many others from different boards. I don't want to post them here, but I can email you the links if you want me to.

Good luck on your essay.

 

[shesulsa]

Besides the extensive sources that you can access from this board, there are many others from different boards. I don't want to post them here, but I can email you the links if you want me to.

Could you email those to me as well, please?

 

[Gemini]

Could you email those to me as well, please?

Sure. Let me get to diggin'...

 

[Gemini]

Could you email those to me as well, please?

Done

 

[shesulsa]

Got 'em. Thanks, Gemini! :ultracool

 

[Marginal]

Not to be picky, but what happened to the PM feature?

 

[shesulsa]

Not to be picky, but what happened to the PM feature?

Marginal, what exactly is your point? I preferred email in this instance.

 

[Brad Dunne]

Some very interesting information.........
http://www.worldjidokwan.com/histor..._taekwondo.html

LEE Kyo Yoon says: "In November 1950, I came back to Seoul and taught Tang Soo Do (Taekwondo).

This statement is very interesting to me, for I am certified thru the Han Moo Kwan, which Lee Kyo Yoon started and currently is still the president/head of the kwan. It lends me to wonder if in fact I could also be certified in TSD?

Any Thoughts?...............

 

[Andy Cap]

Yes Brad, many of the Tae KWon Do schools of today were the Tang Soo Do schools of yesterday. In fact, most of the money used to build the Kukkiwon came from Moo Duk Kwan masters (formerly of Moo Duk Kwan). Moo Duk Kwan is the name for Hwan Kee's organization which is/was Tang Soo Do. When the proposition of unification came along, Hwang Kee was on board and many of the masters in his organization were excited too. At some point Hwang Kee didn't like what he was hearing and he backed out of the Tae Kwon Do model. In fact many accounts say it was right down to the name that he disagreed with. Either way, a few of his masters (students) joined Tae Kwon Do (see Chong Soo Hon). So there is a lot of overlap historically between teh two styles.
I do find it is interesting that these masters kept the Moo Duk Kwan name even though they left Hwang Kee. It was his kwan and when they left and adopted Tae Kwon Do they should have dropped the MDK name. That is my opinion because honestly thte idea of TKD was unification, adn how unified are you if you still carry the name of your former kwan with you?.

In fact I hold 4th dan in both Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan and Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan. I received these ranks from different instructors though. You wil not find an instructor that can legitimately certify you in both because he cannot belong to both at the same time. This does not mean he cannot teach them to you though.

 

[dadams]

>In fact, most of the money used to build the Kukkiwon came from Moo Duk >Kwan masters (formerly of Moo Duk Kwan).

Andy Cap, where did you get this information from as I have never seen this before? And when you mean the money came from the MDK group are you talking Hong Chong Soo's breakaway TKD MDK that joined with the KTA.
From the references I have seen, they state that Un Yung Kim had raised most of the funds for the kukkiwon - although I cannot remember the source for most of these funds.
I'm not saying you are wrong, it appears to be just another one in a long line of discrepencies in the history of TKD.

 

[Andy Cap]

Good question, adn I take no offense to it. Of course as with most things surrounding Korean MA, it is hard to nail down fact vs fiction. I was taught by my instructor (a senior ranking student of Chong Soo Hong) that the TKD MDK association donated a lot of money. Now I didn't find out if it was as individual contributions or as an organization. I wil dig further tomorrow. There are a lot of MDK folks involved in the Kukkiwon, and there were even more in teh beginning.

The history states that Un Yung Kim had "raised" the funds, but it is not clear where he gets the fund from. I was told that a lot of the won came from TKD MDK practitioners, adn that could be true considering teh size and wealth of the MDK.

 

[Brad Dunne]

You wil not find an instructor that can legitimately certify you in both because he cannot belong to both at the same time. This does not mean he cannot teach them to you though.

Andy, why can't an instructor belong to both?

 

[dadams]

>There are a lot of MDK folks involved in the Kukkiwon, and there were even >more in teh beginning.

I have always been under the impression that in Korea itself that there are more TKD MDK than TSD MDK or SBK MDK. As for the rest of the world - well, that may be different I'm not sure.

As for a reason why one cannot belong to both TSD MDK and TKD MDK is primarily due to the split that occured at the formation of the Korea Taekwondo Assoc in the Moo Duk Kwan and some bitterness between the two camps that still exists. Either camp would not like a "senior" member of their org also awarding rank in the "other" org.

 

[Gemini]

You wil not find an instructor that can legitimately certify you in both because he cannot belong to both at the same time. This does not mean he cannot teach them to you though.

Andy, why can't an instructor belong to both?

Good question. At one time I had an instructor that was a 6th dan in TSD, and when TKD was in sore need of qualified masters, was one of many at that time that was granted a equal dan ranking in TKD. He was in fact, acknowledged as a master in both arts.

 

[Andy Cap]

Well the reason they cannot belong to both is purely political. I understand it to a degree too. My TSD instructor would certainly not certify my students promotions if he knew I was also testing them through anothe organization as well. To him, as with many people, it is considered a conflict of interest.

So, I hold rank in both and could teach either, but to certify any promotions through some organizational structure for both would be difficult.

 

[Gemini]

So, I hold rank in both and could teach either, but to certify any promotions through some organizational structure for both would be difficult.

That's why I asked. The part I left out was that though he was acknowledged a master in both arts, when it came time to receive my dan certificate in TKD, he had the other master (Kukkiwon certified) do it, though he himself was also certified. I always thought that was odd. Why would he do that? How would one org know what the other is doing?

 

[Ceicei]

That's why I asked. The part I left out was that though he was acknowledged a master in both arts, when it came time to receive my dan certificate in TKD, he had the other master (Kukkiwon certified) do it, though he himself was also certified. I always thought that was odd. Why would he do that? How would one org know what the other is doing?

It might be to reduce any appearance of favourism if another master certifies the promotion. That's just my take on it from reading this thread.

- Ceicei