HISTORY OF PRO TAEKWONDO

Taekwondo started to spread in the 1940-50’s, as Korea became Independent. Back then, Taekwondo was called by a different name such as Taekkyun, Dangsu and Taesudo, and it was spread by some pioneers including, Hwang Ki, Jeon Sang Sop, Yoon Byoung In, Lee Won Kuk and No Byoung Jik.

During the Korean War, as many as [40] gymnasiums opened and in the 70’s, each gym was divided into ten [10] subdivisions.

However, in May 1976, all subdivisions were united, and they were numbered from 1 to 9. This brought unification to Taekwondo, but it also caused a competitive spirit in rank and order. Despite the situation, a few strong willed Taekwondo artists began to spread and expand traditional Taekwondo like Taekkyun.

One of those was Grandmaster Soo Hyun YE, the current Chairman of the International Pro Taekwondo, who had the will to “Succeed and develop the original form of Taekwondo”. He turned Taekwondo into Martial Arts, that is popular among spectators, and began ‘Pro Taekwondo’. In other words, he realised the necessity of making traditional Taekwondo into a professional Martial Arts. He strove to enhance the nation’s traditional martial arts, so he initiated higher quality of intense training.

Pro Taekwondo has introduced a new game system that attracts people of all ages and gender to learn. It promotes opportunities for the sport’s popularisation to become an international sport and opens up new paths for amateur athletes as well as their coaches. The nation’s first Pro Taekwondo Sports Centre was built in order to focus on the advanced level training. Pro Taekwondo has become a National Martial Arts developing skill that is not found in any other Do-Jang. This includes character development and practices that are not initiated in Daegu in Kyongbuk. Competition games also spread and were held in other major cities such as Seoul and Daejeon. The sport also spread across many different countries around the world, including the USA, Canada and Southeast Asian countries, becoming a popular form of Martial Arts.

Grandmaster Soo Hyun YE appointed Grandmaster Dosa Kwon as the Representative of IPTA Oceania in 1991. Since then, Grandmaster Dosa Kwon has been striving hard to develop a strong Pro Taekwondo base in Sydney, Australia. He has been reorganising and working as a federation to spread it across the world alongside like-minded martial artists.

With the help of martial artists all across the globe, we aim to further develop the art of Pro Taekwondo.