Choi Hong-hi
Choi Hong-hi (Korean: 최홍희; 9 November 1918 – 15 June 2002) was a South Korean Army general, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to his introduction of taekwondo to North Korea.
| Choi Hong-hi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 November 1918 Hwadae, Myongchon County, Kankyōhoku-dō (North Hamgyong Province), Korea, Empire of Japan |
| Died | 15 June 2002 (aged 83) Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Style | Karate, Taekwondo |
| Teacher(s) | Gichin Funakoshi (Karate), Kim Hyun-soo (Karate) |
| Rank | 9th dan, Grand Master, principal founder, Tae Kwon Do (ITF) 2nd dan, karate |
| Choi Hong-hi | |
| Hangul | 최홍희 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Honghui |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Honghŭi |
Choi is regarded by many as the "Founder of Taekwon-Do"—most often by organizations belonging to the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), the first international federation for Taekwondo, which he founded. Others, such as World Taekwondo, portray Choi as either an unimportant or a dishonorable figure in taekwondo history because of his defection to North Korea, whether by omitting him from their versions of taekwondo history or through explicit statements, due to the aforementioned controversy.