The story of taekwondo

For younger readers: ages 8 to 11, read aloud if you like. Switch to for teenagers and adults.

1. 1Where does taekwondo come from?Korea was freed in 1945, new fighting schools opened in Seoul, and a young soldier who had learned karate in Japan was about to change everything. · 3 min
2. 2Who gave taekwondo its name?In 1955 a general called a meeting to choose a name, and a president wrote it out with a brush. · 3 min
3. 3What became of General Choi?He started a federation in Seoul, had to leave Korea, wrote a book so big it fills 15 volumes, and left behind three federations with the same name. · 3 min
4. 4Who are the patterns named after?An admiral with an armoured ship, a monk, a scholar, and a legendary king: the people hidden inside taekwondo's patterns. · 3 min
5. 5How did taekwondo reach the Olympic Games?A new headquarters in Seoul, a world federation founded in the same week as the first World Championships, and the vote that sent taekwondo to Sydney. · 3 min
6. 6Who brought taekwondo to Britain?Airmen invited their teacher to Britain, the first black belts were made in Coventry, and in 1983 the British groups went their own ways. · 3 min
7. 7Who has stood on the podium for Britain?A bronze in Beijing, a 19 year old's gold in London, two Paralympic golds in Paris, and the bow that starts your class tonight. · 3 min

Written from checked sources, listed on the sources page. Pictures are drawn, with computer help, under our direction; none shows a real child. Recorded chapters and words are read by a computer voice; a word not yet recorded uses your device's own voice.