International Taekwondo Federation

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International Taekwondo Federation
International Taekwon-Do Federation Logo
Korean name
Hangul:
국제 태권도 연맹
Hanja:
國際跆拳道聯盟
Revised Romanization: Gukje Taegwondo Yeonmaeng
McCune-Reischauer: Kukje T'aekwǒndo Yǒnmaeng

The International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) was founded in 1966 by Major General Choi Hong Hi six years before his exile from South Korea in 1972 and seven years before the WTF. The ITF is basically an extension of the Oh Do Kwan of the late 1960's. His first visit of good will to North Korea was in 1980, when he introduced Taekwon-Do there. It is one the two major international Taekwon-Do organisations, the other being the public Olympic International Federation called World Taekwondo Federation or WTF. The WTF though only operates competitions and has nothing to do with curriculum. For that, the WTF only recognizes the Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters). General Choi was the primary figure in the development of Taekwon-Do during the 20th century and headed meetings with the senior Taekwon-Do masters to unify a large number of the Korean martial arts schools under the name Taekwon-Do. He is also responsible for providing Taekwon-Do with its name which was agreed upon on April 11th, 1955. He is acknowledged by practitioners of ITF Taekwon-Do as the founder and father of Taekwon-Do.

The original headquarters of the ITF from its inception in 1966 until it relocated to Canada in 1972 was in Seoul, Korea. It then moved from Canada to its former headquarters in Vienna, Austria in 1985. Grand Master Choi, Jung Hwa has since returned the ITF to Canada. Shortly before General Choi's death, he flew to North Korea to be able to die in his homeland. The North Korean Government took advantage of General Choi's condition and arranged a role of events that went against the ITF constitution and attempted to turn the leadership over to the North Korean Communist Government official, Chang Ung.

Contents

[edit] Recent history

This recent history is very politically charged and one must be careful when approaching it. When General Choi Hong Hi died on June 15, 2002, there was a political split between the different masters within the International Taekwon-Do Federation.

General Choi Hong Hi, Founder of Taekwon-Do, had been elected unanimously as President for another term and stated that after two years he would retire. The congress members unanimously elected then-Master Choi, Jung Hwa to replace Gen. Choi after his retirement. This vote was in accord with the legal procedures for the organization and was done with the approval of the ITF's Legal Consultant. Master Choi, Jung Hwa informed that North Koreans that they would be welcome as a member country in the ITF after he became President, but that they would exercise no undue influence on the organization, which had been devised as a non-political body. After this Master Choi was "expelled" from the ITF during an Extraordinary Congress. The meeting, however, did not meet the ITF's constitutional requirements (not meeting the required number of member countries in attendance and not being requested by the members). As such, its decisions were not binding.

Master Choi Jung Hwa disputed the validity of this congress and was expelled from the building after an altercation. Sides were quickly taken and Master Choi had the legitimate title of President given the original decision. Master Choi maintained the position that the ITF had to get as far as possible from any form of contact with North Korea, at least politically. Given the aforementioned altercation that occurred in Vienna and other statements by Master Choi, he returned the ITF to Canada.

The stance that Master Choi took to protect the ITF from North Korean interference is one also held by a second group that split from the "original" ITF and presently led by Master Tran Trieu Quan. This second split occurred following General Choi's death. The reason for this split lay in tradition versus bureaucracy. As he lay on his deathbed, General Choi appointed Mr. Chang Ung, North Korean IOC member. Some feared, notably in the United States and Canada, that this added North Korean influence would prove detrimental to the development of Taekwon-Do.

In a "special" congress in North Korea, after the death of Choi Hong Hi, Mr. Chang Ung, a North Korean government official, IOC Member and basketball coach, Mr. Chang Ung, presented himself as per General Choi's last words, which were witnessed by over a dozen Grand Masters and Masters. Mr. Chang Ung was accepted as President by some and rejected by others. This group has come to be known on online bulletin boards as ITF North Korea. Many ITF members who originally broke from Master Choi, despite the claim of the non-constitutional nature of his "expulsion," now balked at following Chang Ung. They therefore had a Congress and elected Master Tran Trieu Quan as the President of their ITF faction. Unfortunately, this overlooks the fact that then-Master Choi was already the validly elected President of the ITF, in a procedure that followed the constitution.

  • The ITF-C group claims legitimacy through its President having been elected at the 2001 Rimini Congress - the last unified congress prior to the passing of his father, General Choi Hong Hi. General Choi later attempted to over turn that election, although his attempt failed to meet the Constitutional requirements according to the ITF's own Constitution, after Master Choi informed the North Koreans that he would not have them interfering in internal ITF matters.
  • The ITF-V claims legitimacy through an Austrian court ruling and the ITF constitution, although this overlooks the fact that according to the ITF Constitution Master Choi was not validly expelled. Court battles continue, with both sides winning and losing in the lower courts. The ITF-NK has till not been ordered to vacate the ITF Headquarters building in Vienna, Austria.
  • The ITF-NK claims legitimacy through appointment by the late General Choi, reaffirmed at the regular World Congress meeting in Greece, during the 2003 World Championships and Austrian Court proceedings, which has allowed them to remain in exclusive control of the Headquarters building.

The Austrian Courts have not reached a final decision as to which organisation is the legal and democratically elected ITF in Vienna. However, the North Korean Group has maintained exclusive control over the headquarters building owned by the ITF. The group following President Choi Jung Hwa, is not represented in Vienna, and is currently involved in litigation action with the ITF-V Group in Canada. Choi Jung Hwa claims the trademarks and licensing rights to the ITF in Canada belong exclusively to President Choi Jung Hwa. The ITF logo is registered in Europe with Master Tran's ITF through the EU Office for Harmonisation of the Internal Market (OHIM).

The rights to the ITF in other countries are believed to be owned by the former NGB's under the old unified regime. In the UK that is believed to be Grand Master Rhee Ki Ha, in the USA, Grand Master Charles Sereff, although he formally resigned from the ITF in 2003 and is no longer a member.

However, the IOC recognizes the North Korean ITF and has entertained talks with the WTF. This started when Mr. Chang Ung, President of one of the ITF groups, had the ITF recognized by GAISF, the President of which was Dr. Un Yong Kim, also the President of the WTF. There are currently ongoing talks between the ITF under Mr. Chang Ung and the WTF to merge the two Taekwon-Dos, which was General Choi's strongest hope. The talks were recently given increased energy with the direct involvement of the IOC President, with the presidents of both the ITF-NK & WTF at a meeting held at IOC Headquarters.

[edit] ITF Returns to South Korea

As a result of continued efforts by ITF Canada (Choi Jung Hwa) to return the ITF to its homeland, the Federation has established a local organisation in South Korea. In 2004 the KITF hosted the ITF's World Championship and Junior World Championship in Daegu. As a result of this trailblazing, both the Vienna and DPRK groups have been able to establish branches in South Korea as well. As none of the Kukkiwon schools train to Choi Hong Hi's pattern (TUL) system it should be interesting to see the growth of these over the years. The Oh Do Kwan practiced the Chang Hun tuls in the military and approximately 60% of civilian schools did as well.

All three groups now have representation in South Korea. There was a group affiliated to the ITF-NK that visited North Korea in May of 2006, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the ITF.

It is important to note, however, that the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), the International Federation for Taekwondo under the International Olympic Committee, has been in talks with the ITF President, Chang Ung of North Korea. Expect soon that the North Korean Taekwondo group will apply for Member National Association (MNA) status with the WTF. North Korean Taekwon-Do practitioners are already learning the Kukkiwon curriculum.

[edit] Patterns

Patterns or forms ("tuls" in Korean, equivalent to the kata in karate) originally called Hyung, are considered by many to be one of the most important aspects of training in Taekwon-Do. The patterns practised by members of the ITF are originally the patterns of the OH DO KWAN and rather different from those performed by Kukkiwon, especially the Taegeuk Poomsae, and form one of the major differences between the two styles.

The majority of the patterns (excepting Ul-Ji and Tong-Il) start with a defensive move, which emphasizes Taekwondo's defensive nature. The patterns all start and end at the same point. This ensures that the practitioners' stances are the correct length, width, and in the proper direction. There are 24 patterns (틀) in the official ITF syllabus, developed by General Choi with assistance form associates such as NAM, Tae Hee and HAN, Cha Kyo, CK Choi and Park, Jung Tae. General Choi also developed the Confucious based Korean Patriotic philosophy of each pattern. The names of these patterns typically refer to a patriotic instance or person of Korean history, with the exception of the controversial Juche Tul. They are as follows (with Hangul/Hanja names), and with related articles:

Originally there was another pattern called Kodang, but this has been replaced by Juche in the current official syllabus of the ITF. As Juche is an important element of North Korean ideology, this change is sometimes controversial. In some studios, Juche is taught in addition to Ko-Dang, rather than replacing it, because the instructor feels that both are important.

It is also interesting to note that Oh Do Kwan representative HYUN, Jong Myung was one of the eight people from various kwans who created the Palgwe and Dan Poomsae (patterns) for the Korea Taekwondo Association in 1965, and was also on that same committee when the Palgwe Poomsae was replaced with the Taegeuk Poomsae, and some Dan Poomsae was revised in 1971-72, for the Kukkiwon.

[edit] Ranks

The ITF has a unique ranking system. It consists of five solid color belts (kups - also commonly called gups), five intermediate colour belts (indicated by a stripe around both hanging ends of the belt), and nine degrees of Black.

  • 10th kup (white)
  • 9th kup (white with yellow stripe)
  • 8th kup (yellow)
  • 7th kup (yellow with green stripe)
  • 6th kup (green)
  • 5th kup (green with blue stripe
  • 4th kup (blue)
  • 3rd kup (blue with red stripe)
  • 2nd kup (red)
  • 1st kup (red with a black stripe)

The nine degrees (dans) of Black are organized into skill levels:

  • 1st-3rd dan (Novice) with the title of Assistant Instructor (Boo-sabum)
  • 4th-6th dan (Expert) with the title of Instructor (Sabum)
  • 7th-8th dan (Master) with the title of Master (Sahyun)
  • 9th dan (Grand Master) with the title of Grand Master (Saseong)

The reason for nine black belt degrees, according to General Choi, is that the number nine is not only the highest of the single-digit numbers, but also is the number of three multiplied by three. In the Orient, three is the most esteemed of all numbers. The Chinese character for 3 is three horizontal lines, one above the other. The bottom line represents earth; the middle line represents mortals; the upper line represents heaven.

Each colour has a specific philosophical meaning. They are as follows:

  • White - signifies innocence and ignorance toward Taekwon-Do, as that of the beginning student who has no previous knowledge of Taekwon-Do;
  • Yellow - signifies the earth, from which a plant sprouts and takes root as the Taekwon-Do foundation is laid;
  • Green - signifies the plant's growth, as the Taekwon-Do skill begins to develop;
  • Blue - signifies Heaven, towards which the plant matures into a towering tree as training in Taekwon-Do progress;
  • Red - signifies danger, cautioning the student to exercise control and warning the opponent to stay away;
  • Black - Opposite of white, therefore signifying the maturity and proficiency in Taekwon-Do. It also indicates the wearer's imperviousness to darkness and fear.

Up to 6th dan, all ranks require the student to perform a test of all skills and knowledge up to their rank to be promoted. Ranks above 6th dan may be awarded with consent of the promotion committee with no physical test required; due to the nature of and responsibilities of a master no longer being centered on the physical development of students. However, if the recipient desires, a demonstration may be performed. 9th degree (being the highest) can only be awarded when the special committee examines and reaches a unanimous consent. There are minimum times that practitioners must remain at a black belt degree before being promoted to the next grade: 1st degree: minimum 18 months as 1st degree before promotion to 2nd degree; 2nd degree: minimum 2 years; 3rd degree: minimum 3 years; 4th degree: minimum 4 years; and so on.

[edit] References

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    [edit] See also

    [edit] External links

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