Chung Do Kwan

The Chung Do Kwan was founded by Lee Won-kuk in Seoul, and it is usually dated to 1944.^[1][2] Lee said he received approval to teach in February 1944 and began within a month at the Chungdong First Methodist Church; other accounts give September 1944.^[5][4] Kang Won-sik and Lee Kyong-myong say only that it began right after Korea's independence, and researchers have found a newspaper article that dates it to 11 August 1945.^[3][5] A 2008 Korean conference paper lists the 청도관 (Chung Do Kwan) under Lee Won-kuk in Seoul in August 1944.^[6]

Leaders and students #

Son Duk-sung (born 17 June 1922) became the second head of the kwan around 1950 to 1951, and Uhm Woon-kyu succeeded him in 1959.^[5] The kwan closed when the Korean War began on 25 June 1950 and reopened in October 1953.^[4] Yong Taek Chung opened its first branch outside Korea, in Tokyo. Jhoon Rhee is listed among its graduates.^[1]

Role in the name and unification #

The Chung Do Kwan was one of the original five kwans, and one of the nine kwans that formed the basis of the Korea Taekwondo Association and the Kukkiwon. Choi Hong-hi proposed the name Taekwondo in 1955, and the Chung Do Kwan and Oh Do Kwan adopted it at his direction.^[1] See History of Taekwondo for the different accounts of the naming.

Today #

The Korean organization still exists and issues dan certificates from its headquarters in Seoul. Sources differ on its character: one passage calls it a fraternal social club that is no longer a martial arts style, while others say it follows the Kukkiwon curriculum, and some affiliated schools still teach older forms such as Pyong-Ahn and Palgwae.^[1]

Disputed claims #

The same source calls the Chung Do Kwan both the "second oldest" kwan established after the occupation and "the first Kwan to open in Korea". It also notes that some claims on the topic are not cited.^[1]