Taekwondo, (Korean, tae,”foot”; kwon,”fist”; do,”way”), a Korean form of karate developed in 1955 from the old training system of martial arts, tae-kyon (or subak), “unarmed combat”, which is a blend of karate, kempo, and tae-kyon. It is a defensive sport whose principle is never to attack first; and it does not teach hand-to-hand combat. Like all modern martial arts it aims for a synthesis of mind, body, and spirit (or nature). Its technique makes use of flying kicks and includes, besides methods of training (hyong), competitions and breaking tests (kyok-pa) on wooden boards. Instruction in striking the vital points (keupso) of the body is included. The uniform is similar to a karate uniform. The grading system is divided into ten keup (pupil) and ten Dan grades. Contests last for three rounds of three minutes with 30-second breaks between rounds. Protective equipment (hogu) is obligatory. There are eight weight categories. For men they range from fin (50 kg) to heavyweight (83 kg and over); for women, from fin (43 kg) to heavy (over 70 kg).

From the 1950s the sport has spread internationally among the 137 member states of the World Taekwondo Federation, and there are now an estimated 22 million practitioners. The first World Championships were staged in 1973, and thereafter biennially. Women's events were first held unofficially in 1983 and became part of the official programme in 1987. Taekwondo was an official sport at the 1983 Pan-American Games and the 1984 Asian Games, and was a demonstration sport at the 1988 and the 1992 Olympic Games.