The So-Called ‘First’ Korean Taekwondo School: The Ch’ŏngdo Kwan

Abstract

Taekwondo has become one of the most recognizable martial arts around the world. Therefore, this study aims to shed more light on the evolution of taekwondo. Overall, the so-called kwan (taekwondo schools or organizations) played an essential role in the formational process of the taekwondo institutions, but this issue is not very well-known to the taekwondo community and the general public. Specifically, this article focuses on the martial arts organization which is generally considered the ‘first taekwondo school’, the Ch’ŏngdo Kwan (Chung Do Kwan), established in 1944. The method of this study is principally a literature review, but relies extensively on personal interviews with still alive early taekwondo leaders. The Ch’ŏngdo Kwan was the most influential martial arts organization in South Korea until the start of the Korean War in 1950, when during this time of chaos and war several members broke away. Despite the general increase in the number of kwan during this time, leaders of the Ch’ŏngdo Kwan kept playing leading roles in the formational process of the taekwondo institutions. Only with the suppression and near disintegration of the kwan during the 1970s did the Ch’ŏngdo Kwan lost much of its relevance and is now more of a fraternity club.