Choi Hong Hi
HERE I LEAVE THE TAEKWON. DO FOR HUMANITY, AS THE FOOTPRINT OF MAN OF THE END OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY"
On June 15, 2002, the death of General Choi Hong Hi, founder of taekwon-do and president of the International Taekwon.do Federation, was announced. His work began after World War II, he wanted Korea to have a martial art with its own identity, for this he gathered the knowledge of the main Korean kwanes, and adding scientific foundations, TAEKWON-DO, was the chosen name, since then entrusted to expand it around the world.
Forever, General:
He led the movement he had created with military authority, like a true Titan. He presided over a Federation in which his orders were not discussed, his judgment was absolute and unappealable, and who disagreed with that little giant, was at serious risk of being expelled. Also to be accepted again if circumstances were agreed. Being faithful was no guarantee for those who dared to dissent. Ascents and falls were common in his surroundings, in which he regarded everyone as soldiers, under the command of the two-star general he had been, and whose hierarchy he continued to hold forever, predating his name. At his side, respect was an absolute imposition.
But he was the creator; the one who knew everything about his art, the one who never got tired of explaining it generously, seeking to create disciples in greater numbers, as if wanting the whole world to breathe taekwon-do and feel devotion to do so.
He had last been to Argentina in October 2001, giving one of his ever-renovated and tirey seminars. Like every once before, I was ready
to begin at nine o'clock in the morning; continued uninterruptedly until
thirteen hours, when he was changing place to take graduation exams.
In the afternoon he held meetings with the leaders of entities, and then dined out to hold conversations inherent in the activity, and it was normal that when all those who accompanied him felt exhausted by the trajín of the day, inso daytime, inso daytime he remained inexhaustible with his exclusive and exclusionary theme: Taekwon-do.
Early Rebel
Born on November 9, 1918, he had begun to relate to martial art when he was just 12 years old, when, because he belonged to a group of students engaged in a protest movement, he was expelled from the Japanese school system, and his father, wanting to start him as an apprentice of a trade, leads him to study Chinese writing with Master Han II Dong , who also begins to teach taek Kyon.
Korea had been under Japanese rule since 1910, and young Choi decides to go to Japan. There he enters college, learns Shotokan karate, and reaches the second dan. He is forced to join the Japanese army, which was on board in World War II. Transferred to Seoul, he flees along with comrades to join the Korean Secret Liberation Army. He was arrested, charged with treason, sentenced to death to be executed on August 18, 1945, but three days before that date, Korea is freed from Japanese rule, and Choi walks free.
He then joins volunteer groups to maintain order, and then enters the English Military School, which later becomes the Korean Military Academy, becoming one of the founders of the Korean Army.
When he had people in his charge, he included the practice of karate as part of military training. But soon, as a man who abhorred the Japanese, he is ashamed to teach that Japanese discipline to his soldiers, and is already beginning to want the creation of a Korean Martial Art, which had affinities with the soldiers of his country.
At the time, a few years before 1955, Choi promoted the practice of Tang so, among his soldiers, and after a demonstration The President of Korea, Seung Man Rhee, ordered that all the soldiers of the country practice Taek Kyun, as he liked to call it. But Choi had incorporated scientific foundations into the discipline, and a like-minded mindset for Korean soldiers. He researched, practiced, and refined this new art for nine years. He knew it was no longer Tang so, nor was Taek kyun, so he felt it this way: "In 1955 I created the Korean Martial Art of Taekwon-do"
Self-named
Now a new name was needed for the art that was being born. So he set up a committee of distinguished citizens to give him a name – although he already had in his mind the name Tae Kwon Do. The name was accepted and elevated to President Rhee for approval, but he first rejected it, until Choi's explanations, that it was a new art, convinced him to approve it.
Gradually the name was spread in the military ranks through Oh Do Kwan, and to civilians through Chung Di Kwan. As far back as 1959, he invited the leaders of the four main Kwons: Song Moo Kwan, Ji Do Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan and Moo Duk Kwan, while he himself represented Oh Do Kwan and Chung Do Kwan, and there the Korean Taekwon-do Association was formed, of kla that Choi was elected President. A coup came to Korea, and General Park Chung Hee took power.
Choi had differences with him, and was then appointed ambassador to Malaysia, having not yet been able to register with the Korean Taekwon-do Association. In his absence the name Taekwon-do had been changed to Tae so Do, and the entity had been renamed the Korean Tae so Do Association.
In Malaysia he had the opportunity to exhibit the taekwon.do, which was televised not only in Malaysia, but to neighboring countries, where he was also interested in meeting him, and thus began broadcasting in Southeast Asia.
In 1964, Choi traveled to Saigon, Vietnam, to give a seminar to Korean taekwon.do instructors who were in that country, and introduced the Tul who had created what had since started teaching himself in Vietnam.
Shortly the next he sent a manuscript on that Form to the Oh Do Kwan and the Chung Do Kwan of Korea, ordering that it begin to be taught. During that year he had already completed 20 of the 24 Tuls, and had laid a firm foundation of techniques and forms, for the book he would edit in English.
In 1965 he returned to Korea, and assumed the presidency of the Korean Tae Association
so Do, who was already a member of the Korean Sports Union, and soon after
convenes the General Assembly where it proposes to change the name Tae so Do to Taekwon-do and wins the vote by just one vote. Choi squeezed this achievement into his reputation and power as an ambassador and retired two-star general.
In 1965 he raised funds to bring an exhibition team to West Germany, which he called the Kukki Taekwon-do Goodwill Demonstration Team (Kukki-national) of which he was its captain. The tour spread through Italy, Egypt, Turkey Malaysia and Singapore, with total success, and led to the creation of Taekwon-do partnerships in all countries of the tour.
On 22 March 1966, representatives of nine nations met in Seoul to form the International Taekwon-do Federation, consisting of Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, the UNITED States and its allies. Turkey, Italy and Egypt. Its first president was a member of the party that ruled Korea at the time. The organization grew rapidly to include 33 member countries in just two years.
A few years later, Korean President General Park Chung Hee consolidated his power by being elected to a second term, and his government was increasingly dictatorial. He then sent Deputy Kim, Un Tong to take control of the Korean Association of Taekwon.do, and soon after the entity began interfering in I.T.F. affairs.
In August 1971, Choi addressed the I.T.F. Committee in these terms: "Dear members, the president of the International Federation is a Korean, but this does not mean that the ITF must be controlled or directed by the Korean government. It is an international organization that must not allow any country's influence on our decisions through undue pressure."
After this, Choi knew that if he did not support official policies he could be sent to prison, and secretly began his plans to leave Korea, strategically choosing Canada as his destination, both because he was located between Europe and South America, and for having his disciples Park, Jong so, who was working with taekwon.do in a very successful school. When he settled in Canada, he continued the headquarters of the International Federation of TKD.
"I CHOOSE THE TAEKWONDO"
The President of Korea reacted by sending several members of Parliament to persuade him to return to Korea, promising him cabinet posts or embassies.
Choi recounted that when these attempts failed, they sent their son and daughter to be kidnapped, threatening to kill them if he did not return.
His answer was then: "I choose Taekwon.do about my children."
President Park understood that he would not return and ordered Un Yong Kim to found the World Federation of Taekwon.do (W.T.F.) to fight the I.T.F.
From Canada, Choi had to come together to spread his work around the world." No one who has ever been, has any idea how lonely an exile's life is. I had no money or the kind of friends you can laugh and joke with, but I don't regret my decision to leave Korea, because I've had the opportunity to spread Taekwo-.do around the world, teaching it without distinction of race, religion, nationality and ideology. As for that I have been the happiest man in the world and I am proud to have left my mark on life"
Since then he has traveled constantly conducting seminars, conducting demonstrations and presiding over championships, regardless of threats to his life by Korean Intelligence Headquarters officials and diplomatic staff. He was accused of head of a terrorist organization trying to assassinate the president of Korea, and claimed that on many occasions they had sent former students to try to kidnap him or kill him.
He recounted that Korean intelligence officers had threatened relatives of I.T.F. instructors not to continue to partner with him.
"But the pressure I've received from the Korean government has made me
stronger than ever and I put all my energies into developing new techniques, and I teach the same system anywhere in the world"
His task was not easy, most of the instructors he had trained and who were teaching in other countries, began to abandon him, pressured by the respective embassies, when the W.T.F. was created. By 1980 only ten Korean instructors continued with him.
In 1982 he was invited to take the North Korean Demonstration Team, and on a two-week tour they held many exhibitions that were such a success that, Deputy Prime Minister Chung, Joon Ki told Choi: "We have decided to teach taekwon.do in our country, so please send us instructors"
Choi prepared the missing teacher Park Jung Tae to perform the task, which he did for seven months. Choi then traveled to give a seminar and teach details of the Tuls and techniques. Forty-four practitioners successfully tested for third and fourth Danes, and Choi, very satisfied, said, "Now I have enough instructors to spread the technique around the world."
1981, Choi was invited to give a demonstration as part of the Korean Unification Conference held in Tokyo, Japan. Mr Jun, Jin Shik, then told Choi that he was urging the create of a taekwon-do school in Tokyo, and today, thousands of Japanese learn taekwon-do.
In 1986 Choi brought 30 North Korean instructors to Beijing, China. And after being received by the president of Wu Shu's Chinese federation, and performing the demonstration, they had unofficial approval to begin teaching it and gradually taekwon-do began to be taught throughout China.
Just over two years ago, Dr. He-Young Kimm, a notorious martial arts historian, interviewed General Choi, asking him why he believed that taekwon-do had spread so quickly around the world to which the Master replied as follows:
"First of all I give credit to the transport revolution. Since 1959 I have traveled thousands and thousands of miles to give demonstrations, seminars and attend championships. Without the jet, it would have been impossible for me to travel all over the world.
Second, I also give credit to the electronics industry and print media. Millions of Taekwon.do have learned from my books, videos, and CD-ROMs.
The third reason is that taekwon-do contains techniques and a quality far superior to that of other martial arts. Philosophy is based on my personal experience and Asian wisdom, while techniques are based on scientific movements.
I finally give credit to all Taekwon-do instructors who teach all over the world"
Dr. Kim then asks if he believed that unifying itF Y and WTF would help unify North and South Korea, to which he replied:
"Yes. North Korea is a member of the ITF and South Korea, which is a member of the WTF. The unification of Taekwon.do would motivate several groups, including politicians, to work for the unification of Korea. Frequent contact between instructors in both groups would eliminate mistrust. Creating this kind of environment would be a very important step in the unification of Korea."
Finally to another question, the general replied:
"The day I die, I don't want to be buried in North Korea, even when I was born there. And I also don't think I can be buried in South Korea, even when I spent most of my youth in it."
However, he died where he was born. Surely, wanting to be in the deserved bronze, because of its creation, and in a unified Korean. Perhaps his dream will ever come true, so that his indomitable spirit of warrior can, at last rest in peace.
Miguel Hladilo
Rev. YudoKarate
July-2002
