Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "art". Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as "the art of the foot and fist" or "the art of kicking and punching."

It combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and in some cases meditation and philosophy. In 1989, Taekwondo was the world's most popular martial art in terms of number of practitioners.

The oldest Korean martial art was an amalgamation of unarmed combat styles developed by the three rival Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo,Silla and Baekje, where young men were trained in unarmed combat techniques to develop strength, speed, and survival skills. The most popular of these techniques was subak, with taekkyeon being the most popular of the segments of subak. Those who demonstrated strong natural aptitude were selected as trainees in the new special warrior corps, called the Hwarang.

Taekwondo in its current form was introduced on Monday 11th April 1955 by General Choi Hong Hi.

Although this is the date that Taekwondo as a name was introduced, Taekwondo as a martial art has been practised for over 1,300 years under its ancient name Taek-Kyon.

The exact origins of this martial art are a mystery.

However, Ancient Korea was made up on three Kingdoms:  Silla, Koguryo and Baekche.  Silla was the smallest of three kingdoms and faced constant invasion from Koguryo and Baekche.  Taek-Kyon was practised by a group of youths known as the Hwarang-Do.  They created a powerful army and together they unifed the three kingdoms.  Following the unification the Hwarang-Do spread the teachings of Taek-Kyon throughout Korea.  However, Taek-Kyon became almost extinct during the Yi Dynasty and the Japanese occupation.

Taek-Kyon began to flourish again from 1945 following the liberation and since then it has gone from strength to strength to its current form of Taekwondo.

It is now practised in over sixty different countries worldwide.  It also differs from other martial arts as it is one of the most advanced in the effectiveness of the techniques used and their sophistication.  It also provides an equally good physical and mental balance to its practitioners.

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