2333 B.C.Korea founded according to the legend of Dan Gun (Gen. Choi’s ITF pattern Dan-Gun Tul immortalizes this story for all future generations)

918-1392Koryo Dynasty in its latest years had gunpowder & new weapons available, thus diminishing support of the martial arts or the emphasis on the need for MAs for hand-to-hand military combat

1392-1910Chosun Dynasty founded on ideology of Confucianism put more importance on literary art than martial art

18821st Judo Dojo begins what would eventually become widespread civilian participation in Martial Arts

1871Japan begins to pressure Korea to forego relationships with China & establish closer relationships with Japan

1894–95Sino-Japanese War weakens Korea’s connections to china

1904The Russo-Japanese War eliminated Russia’s competition for influence over Korea

1905Japan exerts control over Korea

1909October 26 Ahn Chung-Gun assassinates Hirobumi Ito, the Japanese Resident-General of Korea (Gen. Choi’s ITF pattern Chung-Gun Tul immortalizes this Korean Patriot forever)

1910Korea forcibly annexed by Japan, unconfirmed reports claims martial arts were eventually outlawed, however there was no real civilian practice that could be restricted & eventually Judo would make its way from Japan, kendo, boxing, wrestling & even archery was allowed during the occupation

1919March 1 Korea declares their independence, but Japan brutally puts down the movement (Gen. Choi’s ITF pattern Sam-Il Tul permanently commemorates this date & honors the 33 Patriots who signed the declaration with the 33 Taekwon-Do moves the pattern contains)

1945WWII ends the dark period of the Japanese occupation of Korea, which was then divided by the Allied Forces (USA) & the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.)

1944-471st Korean Karate schools open: Song Moo Kwan March 11, 1944; Chung Do Kwan September 15, 1944; Ji Do Kwan May 3 1946; Chang Moo Kwan 1946; Moo Do Kwan 1946; ROK Army Choi 46 & Nam 47

1949Gen. Choi traveled to the America for military training & took the opportunity to display his martial art there (most likely 1st Korean to do so)

1953Gen. Choi forms the 29th Infantry “Fist” Division on JeJu Island using Korean Martial Arts to build character, strength, fighting skills and to instill esprit de corps in the soldiers under his command

1955Gen. Choi creates the 1st two Korean Tuls or forms, then called Hyungs, Hwa Rang Tul & Chung Mu Tul, he would go onto to create 26 in total, all named after great Korean Patriots or significant events & themes in Korean history & culture

1955April 11 Tae Kwon Do named by Gen Choi & offered as the label for the new Korean Martial Art of Self Defense he was spearheading the development of in the ROK Army, the 1st ROK President Dr. Seung-Man Rhee, PhD authorizes the new name with his Calligraphy, as a result April 11 is therefore referred to as Taekwon-Do’s birthday

1957Taekwon-Do Association of Korea formed with Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Lee Jae Hahk president, Gen Choi Vice President, GM Song Duk Sung Secretary General

1959March 1st Taekwon-Do demonstration abroad: Vietnam & Taiwan with 19 members, among them Gen Choi, Nam Tae-Hi, Ko Jae-Chon, Paik Joon-Gi, Woo Jong-Lim, Kwak Keum-Sik, Han Cha-Kyo, Kim Bok-Nahm, Kim Guen-Taek, Cha Soo-Yong, Yoon Jong-Geul, Kim Mahn-Ho, Kim Bok-Man, Lee Eung-Sahm, Lee Hwa-Seuk, Kim Jae-Ryong, Lee Yong-Kyun

1959September 3 Korea Taekwon-Do Association formed with Gen Choi president, Ro Byung-Jik & Yoon Kwae-Byung Vice Presidents, Hwang Kee as Chairman

1959October 1st Taekwon-Do book written: author Gen. Choi Hong Hi

1959Gen. Choi established and became the 1st Director of the Martial Art Department in the Army

1961September Korea Tae Soo Do Association formed with Gen. Choi Myung-Shin as president, Hyun Jong-Myun, Lee Kyo-Yun, Park Chul-Hee, Ko Jae-Chun & Song Tae-Hak Vice Presidents, Lee Chong-Woo & Uhm Woon-Gyu as vice chairmen

1961Gen. Choi opposed the use of the new compromise name of TAE SOO DO & continued his development under the Taekwon-Do Banner

1962Gen. Choi personally introduced Taekwon-Do to Malaysia when assigned there as the 1st Korean Ambassador

1963July Gen. Choi forms the Malaysian Taekwon-Do Federation with the help of Kim Bok-Man & Woo Jae-Lim

1964Gen. Choi forms the Singapore Taekwon-Do Association with the help of Kim Bok-Man & Woo Jae-Lim

1964Gen. Choi goes to Vietnam to introduce his new Tuls & deliever his new manuscript containing instructions for the newest Taekwon-Do patterns

1965Vietnam Taekwon-Do Association formed by the Military Taekwon-Do under Gen. Choi

1965January Gen Choi elected 3rd president of the Korea Tae Soo Do Association; changes name to Taekwon-Do, 1st president Gen Choi Myung-Shin, 2nd Park Jong-Tae, 4th Ro Byung-Jik, 5th Kim Yong-Chae, 6th Dr. Kim Un Yong 7th Ku Chon-Seo

19651st English book on Taekwon-Do: author Gen Choi

1965Kukki Taekwon-Do Goodwill tour led by Gen Choi with Han Cha-Kyo, Kwon Jae-Hwa, Park Jong-Soo & Kim Joong-Keun to Europe, the Middle East, Africa & Southeast Asia

1966March 22 ITF formed in Seoul Korea; Gen Choi 1st president, 9 initial member nations; Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, USA, Germany, Italy, Turkey & United Arab Republic (of Egypt)

1966July 1 The Army Taekwon-Do Manual written by Gen. Choi Hong-Hi is published by the ROK Army

1967Gen. Choi awarded the 1st Class Distinguished Service Medal by the Government of Vietnam

1968Gen. Choi introduced Taekwon-Do to C.I.S.M. as the Chief Delegate for Korea at their meeting in Paris, France

1968Gen. Choi receives the Korean (ROK) Government Sports Award

1969January The ITF under Gen. Choi publishes the 1st ever Taekwon-Do Magazine

19691st Asian Championship (ITF)

1972Gen. Choi writes a Textbook that was commonly referred to as the “bible of Taekwon-Do” – 6 Editions & 2 reprints up until 1986, 1st reprint needed the next year (73)

1972ITF relocates to Toronto Canada mid-point between Asia & Europe, as well as above South America & the Caribbean to continue to spread Taekwon-Do worldwide

19741st ITF World Championships in Montreal Canada, which was the 1st ever World Championships outside of Korea which demonstrated that Taekwon-Do was truly an international sport & there they introduced 4 categories of competition, as well as team events, (both firsts) to help insure the Overall World Champion was a complete martial artist, 450 competitors from 27 Countries

1978ITF World Championships were held in Oklahoma City, USA & expanded to female competitors for the 1st time ever in any World Championships

1980September ITF introduces Taekwon-Do to north Korea

1981The ITF World Championships were held in Argentina; the 1st time ever a world championship was hosted in South America

1981September ITF graduates 1st group of north Korean instructors who gone on to help spread TKD to many countries around the world

1981November ITF presents a unified south & north Korean instructors Demo Team to the historic meeting called north & overseas Korea Christian leaders in Vienna Austria

1983Gen. Choi completed the 15 Volume Set of Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do, a written work truly unprecedented in the martial arts world that has at least 5 Editions or printings

1984The ITF World Championships were held in Scotland; the 1st time ever a Taekwon-Do world championship was hosted in the United Kingdom or a Commonwealth Nation

1985March ITF Headquarters relocates to Vienna Austria during the height of the “Cold War” era, a politically neutral Country centrally located in Europe, thus enabling Taekwon-Do to spread to communist, socialist & 3rd World Countries, envisioning a dream to share Taekwon-Do without regard to national boundaries, political ideology, race, religion, ethnicity or creed

1986June ITF introduces Taekwon-Do to China

1987ITF World Championships were held in Athens, Greece; the 1st time ever a Taekwon-Do world championship was hosted in Greece

1988April ITF 6th World Championships 1st time a TKD WCs were held in a communist country- Budapest Hungary

1988August ITF introduces Taekwon-Do to the U.S.S.R.

19881st Open World TKD Championship hosted by the Taekwon-Do Association of Great Britain

1988Gen. Choi publishes a Condensed Version Single Volume Book of his previously published Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do that presently has at least 6 Editions

1989Gen. Choi named “Man of the Year” by Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine

1989July ITF appears as formal sports event at the 13th World Festival of Youth & Students performing the largest mass TKD demo ever in front of 150,000 people in Pyongyang Korea

1990August ITF 7th World Championships Montreal Canada

1992May ITF 8th World Championships held at the brand new TKD Palace in Pyongyang Korea

1992Gen. Choi earns an Honorary Doctorate Degree awarded by the Russian State Central Institute of Physical Education of Russia in Physical Education

1992December 9 1st Taekwondo Hanmadang Korea

1993July ITF holds the 1st Junior World Championship for both male & females ages 13-17, individual & national teams were held in Moscow Russia, 1st ever WCs for Youth

1994July ITF 9th World Championships Kuala Terengganu Malaysia

1994September 4 Taekwondo accepted as official Olympic sport by the 103rd IOC Session held in Paris France

1995Encyclopedia Britannica defines Taekwon-Do, credits Gen Choi with naming it & as the principal founder

1995November 15 1st Taekwondo Symposium

1997July ITF 10th World Championships St. Petersburg Russia

1999Gen. Choi, long time Canadian citizen nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Canada, his adopted homeland

1999September ITF 11th World Championship Buenos Aires Argentina

1999Gen. Choi forms the International Martial Arts Games Commission in Argentina, an Olympic type of event limited to just the fighting arts

1999Gen. Choi earns an Honorary Doctorate Degree awarded by the D.P.R. Korea State Commission on Academic Degrees & Titles in Sports Science

2000Gen. Choi writes Moral Guide Book

2000Gen. Choi publishes a 3 Volume Set of Memoirs: titled Taekwon-Do and I

2001Gen. Choi earns an Honorary Doctorate Degree awarded by Moldova State University in Philosophy

2001July ITF 12th World Championship Rimini Italy

2002June 15 Gen Choi passes away receiving a State Funeral & is buried in a Patriot’s Cemetery in Pyongyang Korea as founder of ITF & honored as one who fought against the Japanese Occupation

1918-2002Gen. Choi received numerous other awards and honors for his global work on Taekwon-Do & for teaching Taekwon-Do for decades to everyone, regardless of political ideology, national boundaries, race, religion or creed & as a vehicle to reunite his beloved Homeland of Korea

2002ITF & WTF exchange demonstration teams in Seoul & Pyongyang

2002November 22 ITF & WTF presidents meet for 1st time & hold merger talks Colorado Springs USA

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