Tae Soo Do
| Also known as | Taekwondo |
|---|
| Tae Soo Do | |
| Hangul | 태수도 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | Tae-su-do |
| McCune–Reischauer | T'ae-su-do |
Tae Soo Do was the name that some major kwans (schools) of post-Korean War South Korea agreed to call their martial art systems before they decided to change their name to Tae Kwon Do. Tae Soo Do is also used as the name of the introductory program to the martial art Hwa Rang Do.
History in relation to Taekwondo
The name Tae Soo Do is no longer used in the modern day Taekwondo practitioners or systems. The name, as it pertains to beginner's martial arts, only existed for (arguably) half a decade and has since been obscured by the passing of time. Very few of the younger generations will recognize the name. In the west, the art was always referred to as "Tae Kwon Do" (or "Taekwondo", the western form of the name), as this naming argument never made it over to the mainstream west in the 60's, aside from a very select few, who chose to watch eastern culture and events closely in order to keep traditions alive and accurate.
The name Tae Kwon Do was temporarily dropped due to various controversies. Tae Soo Do was chosen to be the new name for their martial arts. The Korea Tae Soo Do Association submitted its documented creation to the ministry of education on September 22, 1961.[1]
Choi Hong Hi (A General in the Korean military) was unhappy with this change and succeeded in changing the name back to Tae Kwon Do, in 1965, with the reformation of the Korea Taekwondo Association. General Choi died on June 15th, 2002.
Modern Use
Today, the name Tae Soo Do (Way of the Warrior Spirit) refers to a martial art system created in 1990 by Joo Bang Lee as a beginners program to the Hwa Rang Do martial art system. The Hwa Rang Do community used the name because functionally, it expressed what they were working to achieve with their students who participate within the program and since it had been out right rejected by General Choi decades ago, they didn't see an issue using it. Modern day Tae Soo Do has no connection with Tae Kwon Do and one should not be mistaken for the other.[2]