Korea Taekwondo Association (; KTA), originally the Korea Tae Soo Do Association, is the first taekwondo organization. It was founded in 1961, and in 1963 it received approval to join the Korean Sports Council.
The Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo (formerly known as the World Taekwondo Federation) were established by the KTA in the early and late 1970s, respectively. Today, the KTA is aligned with Kukkiwon and serves as the Member National Association (MNA) of World Taekwondo. Its mission is to promote taekwondo as a national sport within South Korea.
History The history of the KTA has been marked by political challenges, including those associated with the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.
First attempts The process of unifying the various Korean martial arts schools, or kwan, was long and complex. Following the Korean independence movement of 1945, many leading masters of the main kwan began discussing the unification of Korean martial arts, which had been severely suppressed during the Japanese occupation. Their aim was to revive traditional Korean martial arts by consolidating them into a single and cohesive discipline.
An initial attempt to harmonize the different styles practiced within the various kwan took place in July 1946, when several masters, including Byung Jick Ro (founder of Song Moo Kwan), Sang Sup Chun (founder of Yun Moo Kwan, later renamed Ji Do Kwan), Won Kyo Lee (founder of Chung Do Kwan), and Byung In Yoon (founder of what would later become Chang Moo Kwan), agreed to standardize the teaching methods of the martial arts practiced in their respective schools. The outbreak of the Korean War interrupted this process, leading to the dispersal of many masters across different regions of the country. Some of them took refuge in Pusan, where they established the Korean Kongsoodo Federation, an initiative regarded as the first concrete attempt to unify Korean martial arts.
Towards the creation of the KTA Several years after the end of the Korean War, leading representatives of the kwan resumed efforts toward unification. Between 1959 and 1961, multiple organizations were formed with this objective. Among these, a group composed primarily of members of the Chung Do Kwan and led by General Choi Hong Hi gained prominence, alongside the Unified Consolidation Committee, established in September 1961. The group led by Choi Hong Hi also established an organization called the Korea Taekwondo Association; however, it was entirely unrelated to the current Korea Taekwondo Association, which was founded by the Unified Consolidation Committee under the original name of Korea Taesoodo Association (KTA). The position of president of the KTA initially remained vacant, while Un Kyu Uhm and Chong Woo Lee were appointed vice presidents. In June 1962, the association was admitted as a member of the Korean Olympic Committee, and later that year Myung Shin Chae assumed office as the first president of the KTA.
In 1965, the Korean Taesoodo Association was officially renamed the Korea Taekwondo Association. The change occurred during the term of Choi Hong Hi, who had by then joined the association, and marked the return to the official use of the term taekwondo, which had been coined in 1955.
During the 1960s, the KTA assembled the twelve original masters of taekwondo to promote taekwondo throughout the world.
The establishment of the Kukkiwon In January 1967, following the end of Byung Jick Ro’s term, the presidency of the KTA passed to Yong Chae Kim, a prominent figure within the ruling political party at the time. Kim initiated plans for the creation of a central training hall dedicated to taekwondo. He succeeded in securing approximately 28 million won — equivalent to about US$30,000 at the time — from state funds for the construction of what was referred to as the Central Dojang. After the appointment of Un Yong Kim as the seventh president of the KTA in January 1971, the Central Dojang project took definitive shape. The plan called for the construction of a building covering more than 4,000 square metres. The proposed site was located on the plateau of Yeoksam-dong, then an undeveloped area, with the intention of creating a structure that would serve as a symbol of strength and national identity overlooking the city. Construction of the main building began on 19 November 1971 and was completed on 30 November 1972.
Late 20th century Un Yong Kim held the presidency of both the KTA and the Kukkiwon for more than 20 years. During his tenure, he played a central role in the establishment of World Taekwondo. While his leadership has been criticized in later years for its authoritarian aspects, he provided two decades of organizational stability.
During Kim's term, the Declaration for the Unification of the Kwan was signed on 5 August 1978 by representatives of the major Kwan existing at the time, along with the directors of the Central Dojang (the former name of the Kukkiwon). The signatories included: Promoters of the Kukkiwon Foundation: Yong Chae Kim, Un Yong Kim The Nine Kwan and their representatives: Song Moo Kwan, Han Moo Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Oh Do Kwan, Kang Duk Won, Jung Do Kwan, Ji Do Kwan, Chung Do Kwan. Promoters of the Unification of the Kwan: Won Sik Kang, Byung Ro Lee. Promoters of Poomsae Unification: Young Sup Lee, Soon Bae Kim, Hae Man Park.
Since 2000 The early 2000s were a time of trouble for the KTA leadership. One source states that Un Yong Kim resigned from the KTA presidency in 2001,Ko Mu Do Kwan: Taekwondo Retrieved on 26 January 2010. while other sources state that in 1997, Pil Gon Rhee was already in place as President of the KTA.Hong's USA Taekwondo, Habgido, Gumdo, Inc.: Commendations, citations, certificates & citizenship awards Retrieved on 7 January 2010.Grandmaster Yong Chin Pak: Plaques Retrieved on 7 January 2010. In any case, Kim presided over the organisation for around 20 years. In March 2002, Cheon Seo Koo was elected President of the KTA,Foreign taekwondo officials call for unity in domestic community (9 April 2002). Retrieved on 18 January 2010. and held that position until at least 2004,Macintyre, D. (2004): Fighting dirty TIME (8 March 2004). Retrieved on 8 January 2010. though news sources have reported that he was arrested in late 2003.Kim, W.-B., & Lee, S.-K. (2003): 4 detained in taekwondo probe JoongAng Daily (6 December 2003). Retrieved on 25 March 2010.BBC News: S Korea Taekwondo chief held (5 December 2003). Retrieved on 25 March 2010.
In early 2008, Jung Gil Kim was President of the KTA.Kim, G. (2008): GNP Floor Leader Hong elected as KTA head: Hong Joon-Pyo stresses Taekwondo's advance abroad The Seoul Times (2008). Retrieved on 7 January 2010. On 11 June 2008, Joon Pyo Hong was elected as the 25th President of the KTA, and he continued in the position in 2009.Kang, S.-W. (2009): Government denies backing WTF candidate The Korea Times (20 September 2009). Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
List of presidents Since the foundation of the KTA, 29 presidents have served in office. The current president is Jin Bang Yang. + No. President Term of office Notes Start End Length 1 Myung Shin Chae () 15 December 1962 2 April 1964 1 year, 4 months 2 Jong Tae Park () 3 April 1964 14 January 1965 9 months 3 Choi Hong Hi () 15 January 1965 29 January 1966 1 year In mid-1965, he decided to rename Tae Soo Do as “Taekwondo” (although the term had already been coined in 1955), also changing the association’s name to Korea Taekwondo Association. After being removed from office as KTA president, he founded the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) in 1966. 4 Byung Jick Ro () 30 January 1966 29 January 1967 1 year Founder of the Song Moo Kwan. 5–6 Yong Chae Kim () 30 January 1967 16 January 1971 3 years, 11 months 7–14 Un Yong Kim () 17 January 1971 16 January 1991 20 years President of both the KTA and the Kukkiwon. During his tenure the World Taekwondo was established. 15–16 Se Chang Choi () 17 January 1991 25 January 1996 5 years 17–18 Pil Gon Lee () 26 January 1996 2 November 1998 2 years, 9 months 19–20 Un Yong Kim () 3 November 1998 11 November 2001 3 years 21 Cheon Seo Gu () 5 February 2002 14 January 2004 1 year, 11 months Acting Gyu Seok Lee () 29 January 2004 26 February 2004 1 month 22–23 Jeong Gil Kim () 27 February 2004 30 April 2008 4 years, 2 months 24–25 Joon Pyo Hong () 11 June 2008 4 February 2013 4 years, 8 months 26 Tae Hwan Kim () 5 February 2013 29 January 2016 2 years, 11 months 27 Seung Wan Lee () 29 February 2016 4 September 2016 6 months 28 Chang Shin Choi () 28 November 2016 17 November 2020 4 years 29 Jin Bang Yang () 19 January 2021 – Incumbent
Rank promotions
The first official KTA dan promotion test was held on 11 November 1962, inaugurating a schedule of six examination sessions per year . Following the opening of the Kukkiwon in 1972, the administration of rank examinations was transferred to the new institution. In 1980, the KTA also delegated the issuance of Dan and Poom certificates to the Kukkiwon, a decision that took effect on 1 March 1980. In July 1984, the issuance of Dan certificates for non-Korean practitioners was temporarily delegated to the World Taekwondo, resulting in a period during which certificates were issued by two separate organizations. By the end of 1987, it was determined that the Kukkiwon would become the sole authority responsible for issuing ranks, effective 1 January 1988. To ensure uniformity in examinations, regulations were introduced to reinforce the central role of the Kukkiwon in evaluation procedures at both national and international levels.
Poom rank: examinations for children In 1970, beginning with the 38th promotion examination, the KTA introduced separate tests for children. In February 1973, the Kukkiwon hosted the first official examination exclusively for children, after which examinations for practitioners under the age of 15 were conducted on a monthly basis. The Taegeuk poomsae were incorporated into promotion examinations in 1975. From 1 March 1983, Dan ranks awarded to practitioners under 15 years of age were officially designated as Poom, while the 4th Poom (the highest Poom level) was introduced only in 1999 following a revision of the regulations.
See also Korean martial arts Kwans Kukkiwon Taekwondo
Notes
a. S. H. Park (1993, p. 248) lists the KTA's founding committee in 1959: "As announced in Dong-A Newspaper; President, Gen. Choi Hong Hi, Vice President, Mr. No Byung Jik, Mr. Yun Kae Byung. Secretary General, Hwang Ki. Standing Directors; Mr. Hyun Jong Myung, Mr. Lee Nam Suk, Mr. Lee Jong Woo, Mr. Ko Jae Chun and Mr. Lee Young Suk. Directors; Mr. Um Un Kyu, Mr. Chong Chang Young, Mr. Bae Young Ki and Mr. Nam Tae Hi. Auditors, Mr. Kim Soon Bae and Mr. Cho Byoung Shi."
b. The claim that the KTA was founded in 1961 might be an attempt to dissociate the organisation from H. H. Choi (its inaugural president) due to later political differences between Choi and the South Korean government.