History of TaeKwon-Do
The Gojesoen (Old Joseon) Kingdom was founded in 2333 BC, eventually stretching from the peninsula to much of Manchuria. By the 3rd Century BC, it had disintegrated into many separate, successor states. The 3 ‘Dominat’ Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje eventually conquered other successor states of Gojoseon and came to dominate the peninsula and much of Manchuria. These 3 Kingdoms competed with each other both economically and militarily. While Goguryeo and Baekje were more powerful for much of the era (especially Goguryeo, which successfully repelled numerous Chinese invasions), Silla’s power gradually extended across Korea and it eventually established the first unified state to cover most of Korean peninsula by 676. Meanwhile, the former Goguryeo General, Dae Jo-Yeong, founded Balha as the successor to Goguryeo.
The Kingdom of Silla itself fell apart in the late 9th century, giving way to the tumultuous “Three Kingdoms Period” (892-936), which ended with the establishment of the Goryeo Dynasty. After the fall of Balhae in 926 to Khitan, much of its people led by the Crown Prince Dae Gwang-Hyeon were absorbed into Goryeo. During the Goryeo period, laws were codified, a civil service system was introduced, and Buddhism flourished. From 993 to 1019, Khitan Liao Dynasty invaded Goryeo and were repelled.
In 1238, the Mongolian Empire also invaded and after nearly thirty years of war, the two sides signed a peace treaty. In 1392, the general Yi Seong-Gye established the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) after a coup. King Sejong the Great (1418-1450) promulgated Hangul, the Korean alphabet. Between 1592-1598, Japan invaded Korea, but was eventually repelled with the efforts by the Navy led by Admiral Yi Sun-Sin, resistance armies, and Chinese aid. In the 1620s and 1630s, Joseon suffered invasions by the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Beginning in the 1870s, Japan began to force Korea out of China’s sphere of influence into its own.
In 1895, Empress Myeongseong of Korea was assassinated by Japanese agents.In 1905, Japan forced Korea to sign the Eulsa Treaty making Korea a protectorate, and in 1910 annexed Korea, although neither is considered to be legally valid. Korean resistance to the Japanese occupation was manifested in the massive nonviolent March 1st Movement of 1919. Thereafter the Korean liberation movement, coordinated by the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in exile, was largely active in neighboring Manchuria, China and Siberia.
With the defeat of Japan in 1945, the United Nations developed plans for a trusteeship administration by the Soviet Union and the United States, but the plan was soon abandoned. In 1948, new governments were established, the democratic South Korea and Communist North Korea divided at the 38th parallel. The unresolved tensions of the division surfaced in the Korean war of 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea. The History of TaeKwon-Do, and in particular the Definitions of our Patterns, follows much of this History in Chronological Order.
