Tae Kwon Do, which literally means the art of kicking and punching, has its roots deep in the Korean National experience. Related to the ancient practice of Tae Kyon, its more recent ancestor the "Hwa Rang" resulted as a response to a national emergency

It was during the 7th century A.D. that Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Paechae, Koguryo, and Silla. Silla, being the small was under constant peril of attack by the other, larger, kingdoms. Because of this national emergency, the "Hwa Rang" was formed. The "Hwa Rang" drew its ranks from the flower of Korean youth. This noble soldier corps trained mind and body and it was through their successful military efforts that the three kingdoms of Korea were united under Silla in 668 A.D.

It is to this ancient "Hwa Rang" that modern Tae Kwon Do traces it's ethical and physical lineage. Their code of conduct and method of training is a prat of the heritage that the practitioners of today share with those early warriors.

The virtues prized then as now are fidelity, courage, obedience to lawful authority, love of country, patriotism, and a deep and abiding respect for the sanctity and value of all life. So it was that the balance of moral virtue and physical readiness was struck.

Tae Kwon Do-type activity, as such, flourished in Korea throughout the Silla Period (668-935 A.D.) and into the Koryo period which followed spanning the next 500 years.

With the establishment of the Yi Dynasty in the 14th century, the emphasis shifted from a physical culture to Scholasticism. This Scholasticism, unfortunately, denigrated the physical Arts. During this time the practice of martial arts was discouraged and the competitions which once flourished during previous periods ceased to be.

As the growth of Tae Kwon Do-type activity declined, so too did the political fortunes of Korea. The ultimate low for both Tae Kwon Do and Korean political fortune was marked by the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. During this time the practice of Tae Kwon Do was prohibited in an effort to excise Korean national spirit. Tae Kwon Do was kept alive, however, through the errors of its adherents, and despite the prohibition of its practice during this time, Tae Kwon Doists continued to train in secret. As a result, neither Tae Kwon Do nor the Korean national spirit died, but rather both grew in strength.

With the liberation of Korea in 1945 and the restoration of the Korean national government, the spirit of Tae Kwon Do was resurrected and experienced a resurgence.

It was at this time that those who had practiced the art during the Japanese occupation, and had managed to keep it alive, despite its prohibition, gathered to unify and further promote the art.

The rest is current history.