How did TKD get publicly known as a Korean version of Karate?

[Equilibrum32]

By being repackaged Shotokan that was rebranded because of the twin influences of nationalism and post-WWII hate for the Japanese.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

I can repackage and rename whatever I want. That doesn't make it famous by default

 

[Urban Trekker]

I can repackage and rename whatever I want. That doesn't make it famous by default

The problem is the title of the thread that you started and your OP contains two separate questions. He was answering your question in the title.

 

[lklawson]

I can repackage and rename whatever I want. That doesn't make it famous by default

So you want an answer to the other question too.

The answer is still nationalism and, to a lesser degree, anit-japanese sentiment.

Some time after the Japanese were finally forced to leave Korea at the end of WWII, Gen. Choi <cough> "unified" the kwoons under nationalistic sentiment. This included getting their story straight that TKD, as he dubbed it, is now, and always has been Korean, despite everyone knowing darn well it was repackaged Shotokan. You can tell by looking at the Hyung which was taught in the '50s. After he "unified" most of the kwoons (TSD being one of the hold-outs), the Korean government, again, in a fit of nationalistic pride, decided to promote TKD world wide, even going so far as to pay TKD instructors to live abroad and teach. But westerners were already quite familiar with Shotokan and easily looked at it and saw that TKD was just rebranded Shotokan karate.

So, mostly Nationalism.

But if you want to go into general psychology, by the time TKD, and other martial arts started showing up in the west, various Japanese karate systems had already been established, notably Shotokan, and humans naturally relate the new to what they already know. That's why Japanese Karate was sometimes referred to as "the Japanese system of boxing" and why Savate is still sometimes called "French Karate" despite the evidence that Savate and western Boxing influenced the creation of Shotokan instead of the other way around.

This is an effect that publishers of books took advantage of.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[frank raud]

You could say in a party in the mid 70s that you are a TKD practitioner and they would know what you were talking about?

I actually still ask myself how many people know what TKD is, so I sometimes say "Karate". Also due to me distancing from Olympic TaeKwonDo, which emphasizes completely different content of TKD than what I do...

I've been doing jiu jitsu and judo for 38 years. My mother-in-law, who has known me longer than that, still refers to what I do as Tae Kwon Do. It's the only martial art she knows the name of.

 

[isshinryuronin]

I would more say a 'grass roots campaign'. This is Exactly how TKD became mainstream. A very concerted effort was initiated about the same time as the unification to spread TKD globally. Hundreds of accomplished instructors were sent out to start schools.

This is the #1 reason, IMO. I know this was the general consensus at the start of the 1970's among non-Korean organizations, who also would have liked to grab major market share. The difference is that TKD was unified in their quest and most likely had government support. They were apparently very successful.

By being repackaged Shotokan that was rebranded because of the twin influences of nationalism and post-WWII hate for the Japanese.

I think this is true. Again, a very successful campaign. Popular perception is that TDK and karate are two different things. Got to hand it to those late 1960's Korean guys.

 

[Equilibrum32]

I've been doing jiu jitsu and judo for 38 years. My mother-in-law, who has known me longer than that, still refers to what I do as Tae Kwon Do. It's the only martial art she knows the name of.

That's funny

 

[MadMartigan]

I've been doing jiu jitsu and judo for 38 years. My mother-in-law, who has known me longer than that, still refers to what I do as Tae Kwon Do. It's the only martial art she knows the name of.

All while I'm over here teaching Tae Kwon-Do, and the parents of my own students will sometimes ask what time "Judo" is on a given night haha.

 

[Earl Weiss]

This included getting their story straight that TKD, as he dubbed it, is now, and always has been Korean, despite everyone knowing darn well it was repackaged Shotokan.
Kirk

Sine General Choi references the Shorin and Shorei sytems and even includes the patterns in his 1965 book, at least as it pertains to him any claim that the Japanese / Okinawans roots were ignored is inaccurate.

 

[J. Pickard]

I highly recommend "A Killing Art: The Untold History of Tae Kwon Do" by Alex Gillis. It explains in great detail how what was basically Karate with more kicking became a uniquely Korean art and how it spread so quickly.