Editing Choi Hong-hi

{{Short description|South Korean general and martial artist (1918–2002)}}
{{Family name hatnote|[[Choi (Korean name)|Choi]]||lang=Korean}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox martial artist
| name = Choi Hong-hi
| image = Choi_Hong_Hi.png
| image_size = 200px
| caption = 
| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|11|9|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Hwadae, [[Myongchon County]], [[Kankyōhoku-dō]] ([[North Hamgyong Province]]), [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea, Empire of Japan]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2002|06|15|1918|11|9|df=yes}}
| death_place =  [[Pyongyang]], North Korea
| martial_art = [[Karate]], [[Taekwondo]]
| teacher = [[Gichin Funakoshi]] (Karate), Kim Hyun-soo (Karate)
| rank = {{color box|black}} 9th ''dan'', Grand Master, principal founder, Tae Kwon Do (ITF)<br> {{color box|black}} 2nd ''dan'', karate}}{{Infobox Korean name
|hangul=최홍희
|hanja=崔泓熙
|rr=Choe Honghui
|mr=Ch'oe Honghŭi
}}

'''Choi Hong-hi''' ({{Korean|hangul=최홍희}}; 9 November 1918&nbsp;– 15 June 2002) was a [[South Korean Army]] general, and [[martial artist]] who was an important figure in the history of the [[Korean martial arts|Korean martial art]] of [[Taekwondo]], albeit controversial due to his introduction of taekwondo to North Korea.

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itf-tkd.org/general-choi-hong-hi/|title=General Choi Hong Hi|access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref> Others, such as [[World Taekwondo]], portray Choi as either an unimportant or a dishonorable figure in taekwondo history because of his [[South Korean defectors|defection to North Korea]], whether by omitting him from their versions of taekwondo history<ref name="WTF">[http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/about_taekwondo/present_day.html Present Day Taekwondo (WT)] Retrieved on 29 January 2008.</ref> or through explicit statements,<ref name="Son">{{Cite web |last=Son |first=Duk Sung |date=June 15, 1959 |title=Letter in Seoul Shinmoon newspaper |url=https://www.hellers.ws/ma/59-06-15-son-letter.shtml |website=hellers.ws |publisher=[[Seoul Shinmun]]}}</ref> due to the aforementioned controversy.

== Early life ==
Choi was born on 9 November 1918 in Hwadae, [[Myongchon County|Meigawa-gun]], [[Kankyōhoku-dō]], [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea, Empire of Japan]] (now [[Myongchon County]], [[North Hamgyong Province]], North Korea).{{Sfn|Choi|1993|p=241}}<ref name=":0"/> Choi originally claimed that his father sent him to study calligraphy under Han Il-dong, who was also "a master of [[taekkyon]], the ancient Korean art of foot fighting".{{Sfn|Choi|1993|p=241}} He later recanted this story and said that he never studied taekkyeon and that it had nothing to contribute to taekwondo.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Capener |first=Steven D. |date=Spring 2016 |title=The Making of a Modern Myth: Inventing a Tradition for Taekwondo |url=https://bstf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Taekwondo_The_Making_of_a_Modern_Myth.pdf |journal=[[Korea Journal]] |volume=56 |issue=1 |doi=10.25024/kj.2016.56.1.61 |pages=61–92}}</ref> Choi travelled to Japan, where he studied English, mathematics, and karate.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Goldman |first=Ari L. |date=June 29, 2002 |title=Choi Hong Hi, 83, Korean General Who Created Tae Kwon Do |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/29/sports/choi-hong-hi-83-korean-general-who-created-tae-kwon-do.html |access-date=March 8, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In [[Kyoto]], he met a fellow Korean with the surname Kim, who was a [[karate]] instructor and taught Choi this martial art.{{Sfn|Choi|1993|p=241}} Choi also claimed to have learned Shotokan karate under [[Funakoshi Gichin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tkdnews.com/news/quickViewArticleView.html?idxno=3991 |title=태권도신문 |publisher=Tkdnews.com |accessdate=19 June 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218111013/http://www.tkdnews.com/news/quickViewArticleView.html?idxno=3991|archivedate=18 February 2012}}</ref> Just before he had left Korea, Choi apparently had a disagreement with a wrestler named Hu, and the possibility of a future confrontation inspired him to train; in his own words, "I would imagine that these were the techniques I would use to defend myself against the wrestler, Mr. Hu, if he did attempt to carry out his promise to tear me limb from limb when I eventually returned to Korea".{{Sfn|Choi|1993|p=242}} Choi attained the rank of 1st ''[[Dan rank|dan]]'' in karate in 1939, and then 2nd ''dan'' soon after.{{Sfn|Choi|1993|pp=241–242}}

== Military career ==

Choi was enlisted into the [[Japanese Korean Army|Japanese army]] during World War II, later stating that he had been forced to serve. He wrote that he was imprisoned for attempting to escape and, in June 1945, was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy by a Japanese Military Court for his involvement in a rebellion.{{Sfn|Choi|1993|pp=242–243}}<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport|title=The Founder of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) Choi Hong Hi: An Exploration of Fiction and Fact|last=Moenig |first=Udo |last2=Choi |first2=Hyun Min |last3=Kim |first3=Minho |date=2021-11-22 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2021.1984232 |doi=10.1080/09523367.2021.1984232 |issn=0952-3367}}</ref> Following the war, in January 1946, Choi was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Korean army.{{Sfn|Choi|1993|p=244}} From 1946 to 1951, Choi received promotions to first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and then brigadier general.{{Sfn|Choi|1993|p=244}} Choi was promoted to major general in 1954.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moenig |first=Udo |last2=Choi |first2=Hyun Min |last3=Kim |first3=Minho |date=2021-11-22 |title=The Founder of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) Choi Hong Hi: An Exploration of Fiction and Fact |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2021.1984232 |journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport |language=en |volume=38 |issue=17 |pages=1832–1855 |doi=10.1080/09523367.2021.1984232 |issn=0952-3367}}</ref>

== Taekwondo ==
{{Main|Taekwondo}}
Choi combined elements of Oh Do Kwan [[Karate]] and Tang Soo Do to develop a style of the martial art known as "[[Taekwondo]]"; his organization spelt it Taekwon-Do, (태권도; 跆拳道), which means "foot, fist, art" or "the way of hand and foot" and it was so named on 11 April 1955.{{Sfn|Choi|1993|p=246}}<ref name="Kim">Kim, S. J. (2007): [http://www.sjkim-taekwondo.com/History.html History of Taekwondo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703232101/http://www.sjkim-taekwondo.com/History.html |date=3 July 2007 }} Retrieved on 18 September 2007.</ref> Choi co-founded the Oh Do Kwan, and was made an honorary director and given an honorary 5th ''dan'' ranking in the [[Chung Do Kwan]].<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport|title=The Founder of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) Choi Hong Hi: An Exploration of Fiction and Fact|last=Moenig |first=Udo |last2=Choi |first2=Hyun Min |last3=Kim |first3=Minho |date=2021-11-22 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2021.1984232 |doi=10.1080/09523367.2021.1984232 |issn=0952-3367}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport|title=The Early Globalization Process of Taekwondo, from the 1950s to 1971|last=MOENIG |first=Udo |last2=KIM |first2=Young Il |date=2021-07-14 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2020.1845151 |doi=10.1080/09523367.2020.1845151 |issn=0952-3367}}</ref> Due to accusations of dishonesty, Choi was stripped of his rank and position in the Chung Do Kwan.<ref name="Son"/> 

Choi, together with other Korean martial arts instructors, was a major contributor to the global expansion of taekwondo.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport|title=The Early Globalization Process of Taekwondo, from the 1950s to 1971|last=MOENIG |first=Udo |last2=KIM |first2=Young Il |date=2021-07-14 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2020.1845151 |doi=10.1080/09523367.2020.1845151 |issn=0952-3367}}</ref> ITF taekwondo organizations credit Choi with starting the spread of [[taekwondo]] internationally by stationing Korean taekwondo instructors around the world,{{Sfn|Choi|1993|p=248}} and have consistently claimed that ITF-style taekwondo is the only authentic style of taekwondo, most notably in early sections of its textbooks.<ref name="Franks">Franks, A. (1993): Taekwon-Do and imitators. In H. H. Choi: ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence'', 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 10–11). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.</ref> He was also the author of the first English taekwondo syllabus book, ''Taekwon-Do'', published by Daeha Publication Company in 1965. In 1972, Choi went into exile in Canada after the South Korean government refused to allow his organisation to teach taekwondo in North Korea, and the South Korea government formed the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) in 1973<ref name=":0" /> (renamed to WT in 2018). In 1979 he traveled and defected to North Korea where he was welcomed by the government and supported in his project of spreading Taekwondo to the world.<ref>The Difficult Dialogue: Communism, Nationalism, and Political Propaganda in North Korean Sport, Jung Woo Lee and Alan Bairner, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 2009, 33: 390</ref>

== Death ==
Choi died of cancer on 15 June 2002 in Pyongyang, North Korea,<ref name=":0" /> where he received a [[state funeral]] in the [[Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Gillis|first=Alex|title=A Killing Art: The Untold History of Tae Kwon Do, Updated and Revised|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_dEQDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT237|year=2016|publisher=ECW Press|location=Toronto|isbn=978-1-77090-695-2|page=237}}</ref> On his funeral committee were:<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ko:고 최홍희선생의 장의위원회 구성 |agency=[[Korean Central News Agency]] |date=16 June 2002 |access-date=12 February 2019 |url= https://www.kcna.co.jp/item2/2002/200206/news06/16.htm |language=ko }}</ref>

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Choe Thae-bok]]
* [[Kim Jung-rin]]
* [[Kim Yong-sun]]
* [[Kim Yong-dae (politician)|Kim Yong-dae]]
* [[Ryu Mi-yong]]
* [[Ryom Sun-gil]]
* [[Kim Kyong-ho]]
* [[Sung Sang-sop]]
* [[Pak Sun-hui]]
* [[An Kyong-ho]]
* [[Kang Ryon-hak]]
* [[Chang Ung]]
* [[Hwang Pong-yong]]
* [[Kim Yu-ho]]
{{Div col end}}

Choi is listed in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame with various titles: "Father of Taekwon-Do," "Founder and First President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation," and "Founder of Oh Do Kwan."<ref name="HallofFame">[http://www.lacancha.com/greatest.html Taekwondo Hall of Fame] Retrieved on 12 January 2008.</ref> Choi is survived by his wife, Choi Joon-hee; his son, [[Choi Jung-hwa]]; two daughters, Sunny and Meeyun; and several grandchildren.<ref name=":0" />

== See also ==
* [[List of taekwondo grandmasters]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{refbegin}}
'''a.''' {{note_label|A|a|none}} The spelling of "taekwondo" varies widely in English usage. The WT and affiliated organizations typically use "taekwondo," while the ITF and affiliated organizations typically use "taekwon-do" (as Choi used this spelling). In Wikipedia, the default spelling is "taekwondo." This article follows this standard, but uses "taekwon-do" when referring specifically to the ITF or affiliated organizations' names.

'''b.''' {{note_label|B|b|none}} In Park's (1993) article, the note on Choi's promotion to 2nd ''dan'' in karate is followed by a note about the outbreak of World War II, which would suggest that Choi's 2nd ''dan'' promotion occurred no later than the early stages of that conflict (''c.'' 1939–1940).
{{refend}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

=== Sources ===

* {{Cite book |last=Choi |first=H. H. |title=Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence |publisher=Mississauga: International Tae Kwon Do Federation |year=1993 |edition=3rd |volume=1 |pages=241–274}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150207104253/http://moosin.com/2015/01/general-choi-hong-hi-biography/ Obituary: General Choi Hong-hi Biography] in ''Moosin Magazine'', 19 January 2015.
* [https://www.theguardian.com/korea/article/0,2763,771475,00.html Obituary: General Choi Hong-hi] in ''The Guardian'', 9 August 2002.
* [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1398386/General-Choi-Hong-Hi.html Obituary: General Choi Hong-Hi] in ''The Daily Telegraph'', 26 June 2002.
* [http://www.lacancha.com/choihonghi.html General Choi Hong-hi] at the Taekwondo Hall of Fame, including a photograph of Choi's grave.

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Hong-hi}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:South Korean International Olympic Committee members]]
[[Category:South Korean generals]]
[[Category:Martial arts school founders]]
[[Category:Martial arts writers]]
[[Category:People from Myongchon County]]
[[Category:South Korean emigrants to North Korea]]
[[Category:South Korean male karateka]]
[[Category:South Korean male taekwondo practitioners]]
[[Category:Jeonju Choe clan|Hong-hi]]
[[Category:Burials at the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery]]
[[Category:20th-century South Korean sportsmen]]