Leicester, Loughborough and Syston - Leicestershire, UK
Tae Kwon Do Association of Great Britain (TAGB)
Choi
Hong Hi (1918 - 2002)
Born in what is now North Korea, as a youth he was frail and
quite sickly, a constant source of worry for his parents. Even
at an early age, however, he showed a strong and independent
spirit. At the age of twelve he was expelled from school for
agitating against the Japanese authorities who were in control
of Korea. After his expulsion, his father sent him to study
calligraphy under one of the most famous teachers in Korea,
Mr. Han II Dong. Han was also a master of Taek Kyon,
the ancient Korean art of foot fighting. The teacher, concerned
over the frail condition of his new student, began teaching
him the rigorous exercises of Taek Kyon to help build up his
body. In 1937, Choi was sent to Japan to further his education.
Shortly before leaving , however, the youth had the misfortune
to engage in a rather heated argument with a massive professional
wrestler who promised to literally tear the youth limb from
limb at their next encounter. Other sources say that the wrestler
was set on his trail after a gambling dispute! The threat seemed
to give a new impetus to young Choi's training in the martial
arts. In Kyoto, Choi met a fellow Korean, Mr. Him, who was engaged
in teaching the Japanese martial art, Karate. With two years
of concentrated training, Choi attained the rank of first degree
black belt. These techniques, together with Taek Kyon (foot
techniques), were the forerunners of modern Taekwon-Do. There
followed a period of both mental and physical training, preparatory
school, high school, and finally the University in Tokyo. During
this time, training and experimentation in his new fighting
techniques were intensified until, with attainment of his second
degree black belt, he began teaching at a YMCA in Tokyo, Japan.
Choi recounts a particular experience from this period of time.
There was no lamp-post in the city that he didn't strike or
kick to see if the copper wires ahead were vibrating in protest.
"I
would imagine that these were the techniques I would use to
defend myself against the wrestler, Mr. Hu if he did attempt
to carry out his promise to tear me limb from limb when I eventually
returned to Korea."
With
the outbreak of World War II, Choi was forced to enlist in the
Japanese army through no volition of his own. While at his post
in Pyongyang, North Korea, he was implicated as the planner
of the Korean Independence Movement and interned at a Japanese
prison during his eight month pretrial examination.
While in prison, to alleviate the boredom and keep physically
fit, Choi began practicing this art in the solitude of his cell.
In a short time, his cellmate and jailer became students of
his. Eventually, the whole prison courtyard became one gigantic
gymnasium.
The
liberation in August 1945 spared Choi from an imposed seven year
prison sentence (some sources say it was a death sentence). Following
his release, the ex-prisoner journeyed to Seoul where he organized
a student soldier’s party. In January of the following year,
Choi was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the new South
Korean army, the "Launching Pad" for putting Taekwon-Do
into a new orbit.
Soon
after, he made company commander in Kwang-Ju where the young second
lieutenant lighted the torch of this art by teaching his entire
company and was then promoted to first lieutenant and transferred
to Tae Jon in charge of the Second Infantry Regiment. While at
his new post, Choi began spreading the art not only to Korean
soldiers but also to the Americans stationed there. This was the
first introduction to Americans of what would eventually become
known as Taekwon-Do.
1947 was a year of fast promotion. Choi was promoted to captain
and then major. In 1948, he was posted to Seoul as the head of
logistics and became Taekwon-Do instructor for the American Military
Police School there. In late 1948, Choi became a lieutenant colonel.
In 1949, Choi was promoted to full colonel and visited the United States for the first time, attending the Fort Riley Ground General School. While there, this art was introduced to the American public. And in 1951, brigadier general.
The
year 1953 was an eventful one for the General, in both his military
career and in the progress of the new martial art. He became the
author of the first authoritative book on military intelligence
in Korea. He organized and activated the crack 29th Infantry Division
at Cheju Island, which eventually became the spearhead of Taekwon-Do
in the military and established the Oh Do Kwan (Gym of
My Way) where he succeeded not only in training the cadre
instructors for the entire military but also developing the Taek
Kyon and Karate techniques into a modern system of Taekwon-Do,
with the help of Mr. Nam Tae Hi, his right hand man in 1954. In
Choi's words, the new martial art was 'superior in both spirit
and technique to Japanese Karate'.
In the
latter part of that year, he commanded Chong Do Kwan (Gym
of the Blue Wave), the largest civilian gym in Korea;
Choi was also promoted to major general.
Technically, 1955 signaled the beginning of Taekwon-Do as a formally recognized art in Korea. During that year, a special board was formed which included leading master instructors, historians, and prominent leaders of society. A number of names for the new martial art were submitted. On the 11th of April, the board summoned by Gen. Choi, decided on the name of Taekwon-Do which had been submitted by him. This single unified name of Taekwon-Do replaced the different and confusing terms; Dang Soo, Gong Soo, Taek Kyon, Kwon Bup, etc. He later fell into disgrace with the South Korean authorities - some sources say it was because he visited North Korea, others because of internal South Korean politics. He died of stomach cancer in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital on 15 June 2002, leaving a wife, two daughters & a son.
INFORMATION
SOURCES
Encyclopaedia Brittanica; www.barrel.net; www.itf-taekwondo.com;
www.koreainfogate.com/taekwon;www.msu.edu/user/spock/history.html;
www.bbc.co.uk; The Guardian ( obituary )
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