1. Choi Hong-hi was a South Korean Army general, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to his introduction of taekwondo to North Korea.
17 Facts About Choi Hong-hi
1. 2.
Choi Hong-hi was born on 9 November 1918 in Hwadae, Meigawa-gun, Kankyohoku-do, Korea, Empire of Japan.
3.
Choi Hong-hi originally claimed that his father sent him to study calligraphy under Han Il-dong, who was "a master of taekkyon, the ancient Korean art of foot fighting".
4.
Choi Hong-hi later recanted this story and said that he never studied taekkyeon and that it had nothing to contribute to taekwondo.
5.
Choi Hong-hi travelled to Japan, where he studied English, mathematics, and karate.
6.
Choi Hong-hi claimed to have learned Shotokan karate under Funakoshi Gichin.
7.
Just before he had left Korea, Choi Hong-hi apparently had a disagreement with a wrestler named Hu, and the possibility of a future confrontation inspired him to train; in his own words, "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".
8.
Choi Hong-hi attained the rank of 1st dan in karate in 1939, and then 2nd dan soon after.
9.
Choi Hong-hi was enlisted into the Japanese army during World War II, later stating that he had been forced to serve.
10.
Choi Hong-hi wrote that he was imprisoned for attempting to escape and, in June 1945, was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy by a Japanese Military Court for his involvement in a rebellion.
11.
From 1946 to 1951, Choi Hong-hi received promotions to first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and then brigadier general.
12.
Choi Hong-hi co-founded the Oh Do Kwan, and was made an honorary director and given an honorary 5th dan ranking in the Chung Do Kwan.
13.
Choi Hong-hi, together with other Korean martial arts instructors, was a major contributor to the global expansion of taekwondo.
14.
ITF taekwondo organizations credit Choi Hong-hi with starting the spread of taekwondo internationally by stationing Korean taekwondo instructors around the world, and have consistently claimed that ITF-style taekwondo is the only authentic style of taekwondo, most notably in early sections of its textbooks.
15.
Choi Hong-hi was the author of the first English taekwondo syllabus book, Taekwon-Do, published by Daeha Publication Company in 1965.
16.
In 1972, Choi Hong-hi went into exile in Canada after the South Korean government refused to allow his organisation to teach taekwondo in North Korea, and the South Korea government formed the World Taekwondo Federation in 1973.
17.
Choi Hong-hi died of cancer on 15 June 2002 in Pyongyang, North Korea, where he received a state funeral in the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery.