It is often said that there are as many histories of Tae Kwon Do as there are people to tell them. The roots of Tae Kwon Do extend back to ancient times, when records were kept in paintings on walls and stories passed down from family to family. As such, the history of Tae Kwon Do has undergone as many transformations and refinements as the martial art itself. While reading this history, one should keep in mind that this is not the history of Tae Kwon Do, merely a history.

To aid in the spreading of Tae Kwon Do, the Korean masters began a tour in 1960 to bring the newly organized martial art abroad. In 1963, Duk-Sung Son, second President of Chung Do Kwan, came to America and began teaching Tae Kwon Do Chung Do Kwan in New York City, where he founded the World Tae Kwon Do Association. Numerous other Chung Do Kwan Masters from Korea united under GM Son in the United States, including the now 9th Dan Dong-Hoon Kim of Tucson, AZ, Tae Kwon Do Chung Do Kwan Schools. Master Kim is now directly affiliated with Chung Do Kwan in Korea under GM Woon-Kyu Uhm.