 Known for its speed, power, kicks, and acrobatic techniques, Taekwondo has become one of the most popular martial arts, especially in competition. So in this video, we're going to take a quick look at the history and origin of Taekwondo. Now I just want to say that the Korean martial arts have an incredibly rich history and I couldn't possibly include every detail in this video. So this is going to serve more as a nod of respect to those who practice the art, as well as provide a quick peek at its history for those interested in learning more. Now if you want to further your studies on the history and origin of Taekwondo, I've included some links below in the description. Taking a look back at early history, Korea was originally divided into three kingdoms, one in the north and two in the south, which took up the entire Korean peninsula and also part of what is China and Russia today. These three kingdoms formed a joint system of unarmed combat called Subak, and each one contributed their own specific techniques and teachings, often based on the terrain and environmental influences. Subak flourished both in military training as well as culturally, becoming a very popular sport and form of entertainment. It is even said that the king practiced the art. Subak faded with the fall of the kingdoms and the rise of the Joseon dynasty. During the Joseon period in Korea, there was an emphasis on literary and cultural arts over the physical combat of martial arts, and Subak lost his dominance and his practice was restricted to competition and sport. At some point during the Joseon dynasty, the art of Taekyeon emerged. There is a little bit of historical debate as to whether Taekyeon was a new art or simply Subak under a different name. Taekyeon utilizes techniques to trip, throw, or take your opponent off balance. It emerged as a popular art and even remains today in competition and exhibition. There is a lot more history to both Subak and Taekyeon as well as several other arts, including the art of gongdo, but hopefully this provides a little bit of historical foundation. In 1914, a man by the name of Wang Ki was born and found a passion in the martial arts. He was said to have extensively studied and mastered Taekyeon during high school. Under the Japanese occupation of Korea, it is believed that many native Korean martial arts were banned or restricted with Koreans having to train in the Japanese arts. Ki seemingly had attracted the attention of Japanese authorities so he sought out a new path and headed to China. While living in China, Ki claimed to have trained in the Chinese art of yangkangfu, studying its effectiveness in close-quarter combat. In addition to his native Korean roots and Chinese training, Ki also studied Okinawan karate. When the Japanese occupation fell at the end of World War II, Ki returned to Korea and became one of five founders of a new martial arts system. These schools, or Kwan's, were established by martial artists that had a mixture of Japanese and Chinese influences. At the end of the Korean War, four more schools joined and together they make up the original nine Kwan's and created the foundation of Tangsudo. Each Kwan taught their own version of the arts and their influence and popularity spread quickly throughout Korea, even into the military. In 1952, the president of South Korea suggested that the Kwan's be combined into a single unified art. The Kwan's began to work together and call this art Taesudo. Ki continued to develop his own teachings and his art of Munda Kwan Tangsudo went on to become one of the most dominant versions of the art. During the formation of this unified art, General Choi Hong-hae and also one of the founding Kwan's suggested the name Taekwondo. Choi is often referred to as the founder of Taekwondo, although there seems to be some controversy to this and as a topic of debate. In 1959, the Korean Taekwondo Association was formed in order to complete the unification of the arts. Choi did not fully agree with the politics as the South Korean government did not want any inclusion of North Korean martial arts while Choi felt that they should include all Korean arts. In 1966, Choi broke off and formed his own organization, the International Taekwondo Federation. The South Korean government eventually dropped support of the ITF and Choi established headquarters in Toronto, Canada. In 1973, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established Gukilon, the official World Taekwondo Academy. Together with the KTA, they formed the World Taekwondo Federation in an effort to promote the art as an international sport. In 1962, Taekwondo was introduced to America when Jun-Guri opened up his first American school in Washington, D.C. He is often recognized as the father of American Taekwondo. Taekwondo continues to flourish today with many different schools and variations and is currently only one of two Asian arts to be included as an Olympic sport. So that is the abridged version of the history and origin of Taekwondo. As I said earlier, the martial arts in Korea have such a rich history that I couldn't include all of it just as one video. So for those of you wishing to further your academic study, I've included a bunch of references below in the description box. Also, I invite all Taekwondoen to contribute to this discussion and provide some more insight that we might not be aware of. Thank you so much for watching.