Book Description

The author describes the creation, history and evolution of the Korean Kwan by the founder, Brigadier general, Grandmaster and genius, Choi, Hong Hi who created the Korean Fighting Tigers, Korean soldiers trained at the Odo Kwan and feared on the battle field by both American soldiers and the enemy who were the first special forces and the basis of the United States creation of its special forces and Seal Teams. Brigadier General Choi was ordered by the Korean President to unite the Korean Kwans after World War II so that Korea would have a National martial art and Olympic sport in competition with Japan who was working to get Judo accepted as an Olympic sport and the country with far more wealth and resources to use to reach their goal. The author describes the Japanese style of Karate Brigadier General Choi taught as a Korean martial art at the Chung Do Kwan under Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee and then at the Odo Kwan under Brigadier General Choi, Hong Hi and Colonel Nam tae Lee. The Odo Kwan, in collaboration with Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee, Founder of both Tang Soo Do and the Chung Do Kwan, one of Korea's first post World War II martial arts. Both Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee and Brigadier General Choi would have General Choi lose his Ambassadorship position to Malaysia in response to him creating the first international Taekwondo organization that was required so that Korea's Taekwondo could become an Olympic sport. The author describes how Brigadier General Choi and Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee would be perceived as a threat to the inexperienced Korean independent government that wanted to gain control of the international Taekwondo organization that would have allowed Taekwondo to become an Olympic sport. The author describes the Odo Kwan's journey from its start at the Chung Do Kwan, through the post World War II and Korean civil war and the Korean government's desire to convert Korea's version of Japanese Karate Do named Tang Soo Do to a uniquely Korean martial art named Taekwondo and receive the Korean governments support and funding with full resistance from many of the other kwans who wanted to be the leader of the effort to make Taekwondo an Olympic sport. The author includes Grandmaster Choi, Hong Hi's upbringing in Japan that would later be used by the Korean government officials to get Brigadier General Choi fired from his Ambassadorship to Malaysia and replace him with other government officials who would allow the Korean government to have full control of the international acceptance of Taekwondo that would allow Taekwondo to become an Olympic sport. Realizing he had enemies in the Korean government after several decades of working to unite the Korean martial arts community and create the first international Taekwondo organization to get Taekwondo into the Olympics and then forced to immigrate to Canada to avoid his enemies in the new, young and independent Korean government since 1870 that was searching to destroy anyone they would call a Japanese sympathizer. The author describes the evolution of the Odo Kwan Tang Soo Do to become the Odo Kwan Taekwondo as a political entity and its contribution to the development of Odo Kwan's Taekwondo and the creation of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) and the creation of Korean government's World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) that replaced the ITF and WTF's Taekwondo's journey from the dirt floors of the first Korean martial arts Kwans after World War II to the beautiful Kukkiwon, Taekwondo's official training center as an Olympic sport.