ears, and forehead. There is also a hammer-fist strike to the temple. Another
technique is to scrape down the face, pushing at the same time. Strikes to
the body are always punches, to the solar plexus or armpits, for example.
The t’aek’kyo ̆ n repertoire also includes a set of hand and arm motions
called hwalgaejit. One can use them to confuse or distract an opponent.
There are currently four t’aek’kyo ̆ n associations in Korea. Each of
them was established by people who had studied with both Song to ̆ k-ki and
Sin han-su ̆ ng. They stress different aspects of t’aek’kyo ̆ n, though their dif-
ferences are minor. Each of them is growing, and it appears that the future
of t’aek’kyo ̆ n is ensured.
Michael Pederson
See alsoKorea; Korean Martial Arts, Chinese Influences on; Taekwondo
References
Culin, Stewart. 1958 Games of the Orient.1895. Reprint, Rutland, VT:
Tuttle.
Pak, Chong-kwan, and Song To ̆ k-ki. 1998. Taekgyeon.Seoul: Sorim
Publishing Co.
Song, Tok-ki. 1984. Interview. Cultural SeminarKBS. Seoul.
Yi, Yong-bok. 1995. T’aek’kyon.Seoul: Daewonsa Publishing Co.
———. 1990. T’aek’kyon.Seoul: Hakminsa.
Yo, Chang-hwan. 1991. T’aek’kyon Textbook.Seoul: Yongon Publishing
Co.
Yung, Ouyang. 1997. “The Elevation of Taekkyon from Folk Game to
Martial Art.” Journal of Asian Martial Arts6, no. 4: 76–89.Taekwondo
Taekwondo (Korean; hand-foot way) is a Korean unarmed combat system
whose traditional history traces its ancestry back 2,000 years. It is a native
Korean fighting art, although in the latter part of the twentieth century it
has been influenced by other fighting systems, most notably Shôtôkan
Karate from Japan. In its current form, taekwondo exists in both sport and
combat variants. One of the most popular martial arts in the world, it is
one of the newest Olympic events and became a full-medal sport in the
2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
There is evidence that the ancestors of the modern Korean people set-
tled the peninsula and had developed tribal societies as early as 2000 B.C.
By A.D. 500, three distinct kingdoms had emerged in the area: Koryo,
Paekje, and Silla. These three kingdoms were often in a state of civil war,
with China, the dominant power in the region, offering one side or the
other support in an attempt to retain influence over the region. This influ-
ence from without became a common theme in Korean history, with Japan
and Mongolia making invasion attempts as well in later centuries.
Both armed and unarmed martial arts were practiced by warriors of608 Taekwondo