Taekwondo: Korean Martial Arts

The Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do originated from subak and taekkyon. While this martial arts has its origins dating back thousands of years, it is relatively modern only dating back to the 1940s and 1950s. The martial art of tae kwon do is quite aggressive, strength versus strength. Typically tae kwon do is referred to as a hard style art, where as hapkido, another Korean martial art is considered a soft style art. Hapkido originated from yool sool, as well as tae kyon and unlike tae kwon do, it focused on throws and kicks rather than strength versus strength. Hapkido and tae kwon do alike each have there differences, but modern hapkido and tae kwon do are still seen in numerous military and security organizations as effective methods of self defense.

Although China’s influence over Korea has waned severely since the dynastic years we find the Confucian system of virtues and behaviors, China’s chief export from that time, still very much alive. Korea highly values the extended family, education, personal discipline and public order. In South Korea Confucian temples continue to be maintained throughout the country. The tenets of Confucianism are seen as antidotes to social ills and therefore education is thought of as a means of building character, not simply of intellectual formation. The values of Confucianism are promulgated throughout Korea in places as diverse as school, the office and the home. Television programs often portray Confucian merits such as filial piety and harmony. However

Many years later, my parents finally agreed to send me to a Taekwondo class. I could eventually wear my Taekwondo suits, and tie the belt that is the symbol of the levels; I could sweat and try my best to challenge my limits both physically and mentally.

From 1910 to 1945, Koreans demonstrated their resistance against the Japanese through the Korean Independence Movement when Japan colonized Korea. Weakened by earlier Chinese occupance, Korea was already in a state turmoil. Heroic people such as Yun Bong-Gil and Yu Gwan Sun stood up for their country and culture. It took Korea almost 30 more years to gain their independence, but under their leadership, they proved the success of their determination and patriotism. Despite the eventually liberation of Korea, the Japanese occupation proved to be devastating to the Korean tradition and culture. Yet, the occupation had also been incredibly helpful to the Japanese economy which was under the rule of Hideki

3 years ago I was a green belt in taekwondo. I liked taking taekwondo lessons and my goal in taekwondo was to reach a black belt. But my mini story is about when I was a green belt at a tournament at the Northglenn High School gym. Tournament day was a really fun day because all the taekwondo schools in the district got together to spar, and show what we learned to the other schools. The sparring was my favorite part of the tournament, I was not the best at sparring because I wasn’t aggressive enough as the other teachers told me constantly. But today I was doing really good in the sparring tournament and was beating all the opponents that I faced. I was getting really excited because if I kept doing really good I might get to the finals and win

The Japanese set up the government with generals and admirals that were appointed by the Japanese emperor(Lee Lew). They used their own school system as a tool for assimilating Korea to Japan. The Japanese focused on teaching Korea the Japanese language and excluding the Korean language and Korean history(Lee Lew). The Japanese also promoted their commerce in Korea keeping Korea from freedom of assembly, association, the press, and speech. In 1926, there was a major anti-Japanese mass rally held in Seoul because they were not free and wanted their liberty(Lee Lew). While Japan was distracted with their own people, there were two nations that declared war on them which were the Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Korea demand an end of Japanese discrimination(Lee Lew). Japan forced Koreans worship at Japanese shrines and adopt Japanese-style names, and academic societies were banned (Lee Lew). After Japan lost control of Korea, it triggered the split of

Studies from, “A Dictionary of Martial Arts, by Louis Frederic” Publisher Charles E. Tuttle, Company Inc. 1988.

Growing up, I have worked on my abilities in preparation for the military. During stressful situations, I place two figures on any artery that is close to my skin to monitor and control my heartbeat. This technique has come in handy when in fearful situations. In my free time, I have well-reversed myself in deciphering body language. This is a helpful tool in telling whether an individual is being deceitful or in predicting their intentions. Along with these survival skills, I know a few martial art techniques. For two years, I was trained in Taekwondo in the Guangdong providence in China.

In about 20 sessions, he will teach you how to effectively defend against all of the most common violent attacks. You will learn how to survive unarmed assaults including strikes, kicks, grabs and hair pulls. You will also learn how to turn the tables on an attacker that wields a knife, a gun, a stick or a bat.

Under the Black Umbrella tells the many captivating stories about the 35 years of Japanese occupation in Korea through both world wars. The memories are all from the perspective of Korean men and women who lived through some or all of it. Many of their stories and the history during that time are influenced by several factors, some of which include their location in Korea or surrounding areas and the government’s involvement in recording history. The Japanese were not all awful to the Koreans, since they were humans all the same, but they committed enough atrocities to have a bad reputation with the Koreans. In attempts to unify, North Koreans employed nationalism and ethnocentrism to fuel their way to become a strong nation again. South Koreans did not rally around such extreme ways and did not utilize their northern brethren’s methods of fear for power. Back then and now, globalization is a part of life and it should not be stifled. Nationalistic thinking will bring about more pain and suffering rather than just trying to coexist. Korea faced many hardships with the Japanese occupation. In recovery to their rule, issues arose when it came to accuracy in history, nationalism, ethnocentrism, and the different roles they all took between the north and the south.

Several years ago, when I was five years-old, I watched the movie The Karate Kid (1984) starring Ralph Macchio as the bullied teen who comes out of his shell, having mastered a form of martial arts. At that tender age, I was impressed by the fact that such a mousy adolescent came out of his shell in such an impacting way. Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita) was especially impressive with his quiet demeanor and extraordinary martial arts skills. The movie was a bit old-fashioned, but I loved it! Although I was never bullied, I knew that I wanted to be just like Daniel Larusso, the character that Ralph Macchio played: strong and disciplined. So when the chance came along to join a martial arts class came along, I grabbed it. I started taking classes

Korean sport, like all sport has not developed in a political and social vacuum, on the contrary, sport in Korea is a highly nationalistic practice. Lets step back in time and figure out how they got here. Three notable events have had an impressive impact on contemporary Korean society and culture, including the culture of sport. One is the Japanese occupation, number two is the Korean War and the division of the nation creating the two koreas, and three is the rapid economic growth that has occurred under a series of military

The next nation that will be discussed is South Korea, whose legal tradition finds its origins from Japan, but is now becoming more American in nature due to increased globalization. Korea’s legal tradition was first established 4,300 ago when the Gojoseon dynasty created its own statutory law, heavily influenced by Confucianism and China’s legal system (SpringerLink and Yŏn 'guwŏn 2). (note that during the retelling of South Korea’s history, the nation will be referred to as Korea until the point at which it became separated into Northern and Southern territories). Korea maintained this particular legal tradition, and aspects of a uniquely Korean brand of Confucianism, until the 19th century. In 1894, the internally induced Kabo Reforms aimed to modernize the whole of Korea in terms of legal and administrative systems, culture, economy, and more (“Emergence of a Modern Society”). The Kabo Reforms resulted in a legal system that closely resembled Japan’s system, which followed a civil legal tradition that was heavily influenced by Germany. Korea’s transformation towards a Japanese civil law system was further intensified and completed when it became a colony of Japan in 1910. Following the defeat of Japan during World War Two, Korea gained its independence in 1945, only for the southern half of the nation to fall under American occupation until 1948, while the northern half was occupied by Soviet Russia (SpringerLink and Yŏn 'guwŏn 5). Now dubbed as South Korea, the

The Tae Kwon Do style of fighting is different than many other styles of martial arts fighting. Tae kwon do could best be

South Korea appears in the first quadrant of Figure 2.2 in which states that the country has a culture with relatively larger power distance and lower individualism. South Korea has a relatively large power distance due to the country’s strong emphasis in respecting for one’s elders and superiors. This cultural belief is deeply