A teacher near the end of his life
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Choi Hong Hi remained active in the movement he had established. He met instructors at his Toronto home, discussed technique and Korean reunification, and continued working with his books. Despite his age, Taekwon-Do remained the central undertaking of his life.
Choi enjoyed showing visitors the encyclopedia, finding technical sections and explaining patterns. Tong-Il, dedicated to Korean unification, held particular meaning for him. His homeland’s future and the international growth of Taekwon-Do remained central concerns throughout his life.
In his later memoirs and work on moral culture, Choi connected his own life with the educational purpose of Taekwon-Do. He sought to pass on both technique and an understanding of responsibility, perseverance and service to the community.
Illness and the final journey
Serious illness sharply limited Choi’s activity in 2002. He received treatment in Toronto with support from close students, including Park Jong Soo. Even while using a wheelchair, he continued teaching and held a seminar in Denver. Before leaving Canada for the last time, he met his son at Toronto airport for their farewell.
In May he left Canada for North Korea. Choi Hong Hi died in Pyongyang on 15 June 2002, aged 83. His students lost the teacher who had personally explained technique and embodied the federation for decades. His death marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new stage for the international Taekwon-Do community.
A legacy without a single successor
The question of future leadership became urgent while Choi was still alive. In 2001, the congress in Rimini elected his son, Choi Jung Hwa, as the next ITF president. The transfer of power led to conflict, however, and a separate international network formed around his son in 2002.
After the founder’s death on 15 June 2002, a single leadership could not be restored. Part of the community supported Chang Ung, citing Choi’s final wishes. On 22 September 2002, Chang Ung was elected president of the Vienna-based ITF. European leaders and masters defended the constitutional election process and a decision by an international congress.
On 13 June 2003, the congress in Warsaw elected Trân Triêu Quân as president. The All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation (AETF), its leaders and national associations provided the foundation for this branch, European in its organisational origins and worldwide in its membership. Our Taekwon-Do Federation ITF Ukraine belongs to this branch today.
Three main ITF branches had emerged. They shared the founder’s teaching but followed their own leadership and international calendars. The chapters on the succession crisis and the three main ITF branches explain how and why the separation happened.
What remained after the founder
Choi Hong Hi left the world the name Taekwon-Do, an international network of teachers, a systematic technical programme and a substantial body of educational writing. Masters who worked alongside him developed that vision and passed their knowledge to their own students.
For our community, this legacy continues in daily classes, children’s education, coach development and international cooperation. The founder’s memory lives in the practice of the art and in the people who devote their lives to it.
Bibliography
Books, documents and other materials used throughout this edition. Online sources were checked on 7 October 2026.
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Alex Gillis. A Killing Art. Russian translation: «Смертельное искусство. Невообразимая история тхэквондо» (2022). ISBN 9785005552396.
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Government of Malaysia — Malaysian history. Consulted 8 October 2026.
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FRUS — assessment of economic development and authoritarian rule in South Korea, 1970
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FRUS — increased presidential control and the national emergency, 10 December 1971
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FRUS — memorandum of 17 October 1972, including Park’s third-term election in 1971