General Choi Hong Hi (1918–2002) was a South Korean army general and the founder of Taekwondo, one of the world’s most widely practiced martial arts. Born in what is now North Korea, Choi studied traditional Korean martial arts in his youth and later learned karate while studying in Japan during the Japanese occupation of Korea. After Korea’s liberation in 1945, he joined the newly formed Republic of Korea Army, where he played a key role in developing a systematic martial art for military training.
In 1955, Choi formally named the art “Taekwondo,” combining Korean techniques with scientific principles of movement, balance, and power. He emphasized discipline, moral culture, and self-development, articulating Taekwondo’s philosophical foundation through the Five Tenets: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. Choi later codified the art through detailed manuals and introduced the Chang Hon pattern system, which became central to his teaching.
In 1966, General Choi founded the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) and dedicated his life to spreading Taekwondo globally, conducting demonstrations and instructor courses across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Despite political controversy and personal exile, his influence was profound. Today, General Choi is widely recognized as the one principal architects of modern Taekwondo and a pivotal figure in Korean martial arts history.