History of Tae Kwon Do
About Tae Kwon Do
Taekwondo dates back to about 50 B.C. Although Taekwondo first appeared in the Koguryo Kingdom, it is the Silla Kingdom's warrior nobility that is credited with the growth and spread of the art throughout Korea. When the Japanese pirates were attacking Silla, Silla asked the monarchs of Koguryo for help. When the Koguryo warriors arrived, Taek Kyon, the earliest form of Taekwondo, was introduced to the Silla warrior class. These warriors became known as the Hwarang.
The society of the Hwarang-do, initially founded as a military academy for the young nobility of Silla, adopted Taek Kyon as a part of its basic training program. This elite group was made up of the sons of royalty and other nobility. Among the subjects they studied were: Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, riding, archery, sword play, military tactics and Taek Kyon. The guiding principles of the Hwarang-do education were based on the Five Codes of Human Conduct as established by the Buddhist scholar, Wonkang:
- Be Loyal to your country
- Be obedient to your parents
- Be trustworthy to your friends
- Never retreat in battle
- Never make an unjust kill
Taek Kyon and the Five Codes of Human Conduct became a way of life for young men, a code of moral behavior that served to guide their lives. Today there are 11 commandments of modern Taekwondo:
- Loyalty to your country
- Respect your parents
- Faithfulness to your spouse
- Respect your brothers and sisters
- Loyalty to your friends
- Respect your elders
- Respect your teachers
- Never take life unjustly
- Indomitable spirit
- Loyalty to your school
- Finish what you begin
Taekwondo as a sport was introduced to the International Olympic Committee and the World Taekwondo Federation was recognized and admitted to the IOC in July 1980. By 1982, Taekwondo was designated as an official Demonstration Sport for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. As a Demonstration Sport at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the sport proved popular. By 1994, Taekwondo was accepted as a full medal sport for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Taekwondo is recognized as the most widely practiced martial art system in the world with 30 million practitioners in 163 countries.