__NOTOC__ Choi Chang-keun (; born 1941), widely known as C. K. Choi, is a South Korean–Canadian

master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

,Tae Kwon Do Pioneers: Grand Master C. K. Choi
Retrieved on 5 January 2010.Park, S. H. (1993): "About the author." In H. H. Choi: ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence'', 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
Retrieved on 5 January 2010.Hawkins, P. (2005)
An interview with Grandmaster C. K. Choi
''Totally Tae Kwon Do'', 4:6–13.Pioneers of Taekwon-Do: Grand Master Choi Chang-keun
Retrieved on 13 January 2010. and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence''. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.A tribute to the original masters
(c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011. Following a career in the South Korean military, Choi emigrated to Canada in 1969, where he continues to teach his martial art.

Early life

Choi was born around 1941 in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, during the period of Japanese occupation. He began training in the martial arts in 1956, studying taekwondo and

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

under instructors Hong and Kim in the South Korean army, and subsequently trained under Lim Woo-jong, Director of Taekwondo for the Korean 1st Army. By 1960, Choi had attained the rank of 2nd ''dan'' in taekwondo. In 1961, he helped

Choi Hong-hi Choi Hong-hi (; 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 taek ...

to create many of the present day Chang Hon patterns, Ge-Baek ''hyung''. In 1962, Woo promoted Choi to the rank of 3rd ''dan''. That same year, Choi became the first taekwondo world champion in sparring and patterns, and then became the first tae soo do world champion (full contact, heavyweight, 3rd–5th ''dan'' division) in 1963. He later became one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo and taught in Malaysia. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Choi was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.Cox, S. (c. 2004)
The history of Taekwon-Do and its founder
Retrieved on 3 February 2010.

Canada

Choi moved to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada, in 1969. He opened the first taekwondo school there in 1970. He also established the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

's taekwondo club in the 1970s.UBC Tae Kwon Do
Retrieved on 22 January 2010. In 1973, Choi held the rank of 7th ''dan''.International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history
Retrieved on 3 February 2010. In 1980, Choi designed the

International Taekwon-Do Federation International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) is an international taekwondo organization founded on March 22, 1966, by Choi Hong Hi () in Seoul, South Korea. The ITF was founded to promote and encourage the growth of the Korean martial art of ta ...

's (ITF) tree logo that is worn on the back of every ITF uniform.Kido Kwan Martial Art International: Origins of the Taekwon-Do Dobak (''sic'')
Retrieved on 31 January 2010. He attained the rank of 8th ''dan'' in 1981, promoted by H. H. Choi, and 9th ''dan'' in 2002. Choi has started a campaign to reunite ITF practitioners across the world.Tae Kwon Do Pioneers
Retrieved on 20 January 2010. He continues to teach, conduct grading tests, give seminars, and offer assistance to those involved in taekwondo. He was appointed as an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 2023. He currently resides in

Surrey, British Columbia Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located south of the Fraser River on the Canada–United States border. It is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area. Mainly a suburban city, Surr ...

References

External links

Tae Kwon Do Pioneers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Chang-keun Living people Historians of martial arts Martial arts school founders Martial artists from Vancouver Martial artists from British Columbia South Korean male taekwondo practitioners South Korean male karateka Canadian male taekwondo practitioners Canadian male karateka 1941 births Officers of the Order of Canada South Korean emigrants to Canada Sportspeople from Surrey, British Columbia 20th-century Canadian sportsmen 20th-century South Korean sportsmen

Early life

Canada

See also

References

External links