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Taekwondo has gone through a long process of evolution since its foundations began to be laid at the end of World War II. It took many years for the various Korean martial arts instructors to finally unite their individual kwans, or "schools," under the banner of taekwondo. Ib understand this process, we can look at the history of the modern Korean martial arts.

The Kwans

The Chung Do Kwan

The Chung Do Kwan was founded by Lee Won Kuk. (In Korean names, the surname, or family name, comes first, followed by given names. Thus, in Western usage, Lee Won Kuk would be "Mr. Lee.") This was the first school of martial arts to be established in modern Korea and was the first school to begin laying the foundations for what was to become taekwondo.

Lee Won Kuk began his career in the martial arts in 1926, at the age of nineteen, when he moved to Japan to attend college. During his time at the university he studied Shotokan karate directly from its founder, Gichin Funakoshi.

Lee eventually returned to Korea and began teaching karate in September of 1944. His school was located at the Yong Shin School in Seoul.