It is believed that the earliest form of Korean martial arts dates back to about 50 B.C.  and was known as Taek Kyon.  Wall paintings and carvings found in tombs and temples from this period show figures in what appears to be a fighting stance.  This stance resembles the fighting stance employed in modern Martial Arts.

At that time Korea was divided into three kingdoms,  Koguryo, Paekje, and Silla.  Silla was the smallest of the three kingdoms but from it arose an elite warrior class called the Hwarang.  The Hwarang (translated as "the flowering youth") were the young sons of nobles and were practitioners of the ancient art of Taek Kyon.

The Hwarang studied several other disciplines including History, Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, riding, archery, sword play, and military tactics.  All of the Hwarang training was based on a code of conduct which included,  

• loyalty to the King 

• obedience to parents 

• trust among friends 

• valor in battle 

• respect for human life

The basic principles of this code of moral conduct are among the underlying philosophies of modern TaeKwonDo.

During the Silla dynasty (668A.D. to 935A.D.) the Hwarang traveled throughout the Korean peninsula spreading their philosophies and the art of Taek Kyon .  At this time Taek Kyon was primary a recreational sport designed to improve the physical fitness of its practitioners.  It was during the Koryo dynasty (935A.D. to 1392A.D.) when the focus shifted to the fighting aspects of the art and Taek Kyon become known as Subak.  Incidentally, the modern name of Korea is derived from Koryo.

The first part of the Yi dynasty (1397A.D. to 1907A.D) brought a popularization of Subak to the general population of Korea.  But the Yi dynasty was a relatively peaceful time period and there were changes in the political view of the military.  The rulers at this time held scholarship and learning in high esteem and military related pursuits fell into disrepute.  The second part of the Yi dynasty brought a drop in the popularity of the martial arts.  Subak was kept alive only by a few families of commoners.

In 1909 Korea was invaded by Japan and remained under its occupation until 1945.  The Resident General completely banned the practice of martial arts.  But this only increased the Korean interest in the martial arts and Subak was not only secretly kept alive but there was a resurgence in its popularity.

The end of World War II brought the end of Japanese occupation of Korea.  This was a time of patriotism and national pride for Koreans.  As part of the movement to restore Korean traditions, the martial arts were revived and the first kwans (schools) were opened.  The original five kwans were,

Chung Do Kwan Ji Do Kwan Moo Duk Kwan Chang Moo Kwan Song Moo Kwan

School of the Blue Wave School of Wisdom School of Martial Virtue School of Martial Training School of the Pine Tree

By the end of the Korean War in 1954, other kwans had branched off from the original five.  These were the Oh Do Kwan, the Han Moo Kwan, and the Jung Do Kwan.  Now there were eight different schools, each teaching a different style.  Since each kwan emphasized a different aspect of Subak, various names emerged such as Soo Bahk Do, Kwon Bop, Kong Soo Do, Tae Soo Do, and Dang Soo Do.

On April 11, 1955, a conference of kwan Masters was held to adopt a name to unify the various kwans.  Tae Soo Do was agreed on by most kwan masters.  However, two years later in 1957, the name was changed to Tae Kwon Do.  This name was chosen because it more accurately described the nature of the art and it closely resembles the original name of Taek Kyon.

On September 14, 1961, the groups organized into a single association called the Korean Tae Kwon Do Association (KTA) with General Choi, Hong Hi elected as its first president.  On March 22,1966 Choi founded the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF).  He later resigned as president of the KTA so he could concentrate on organizing Tae Kwon Do internationally.  His emphasis is on maintaining Tae Kwon Do as an art, rather than a sport.

In 1956 a young third degree black belt named Jhoon Rhee came to the United States to attend San Marcos Southwest Texas State College.  He opened the first public Tae Kwon Do school in the United States in 1958.  The sport of Tae Kwon Do quickly spread throughout the United States in the 1960s and on November 26, 1967 the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Association was formed.

In May of 1973 several KTA leaders saw the future of Tae Kwon Do as an international sport and established the World TaeKwonDo Federation (WTF).  There has been many attempts to unify the WTF and the ITF but they have all failed.  In 1980 WTF Tae Kwon Do was recognized by the International Olympic Committee and became an Olympic Demonstration Sport in the 1988 Olympics.  WTF TaeKwonDo has become a full medal sport at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.