The earliest evidence of Taekwondo's existence is a mural painted on the wall of a tomb built in the Korean kingdom of Koguryo, between 37 BC and 66 AD. The painting depicts two disarmed figures l 'facing each other in a Taekwondo style position. Furthermore, in other parts of the tomb, other paintings show uniformed figures performing blocks and other moves similar to those used in modern Taekwondo. During the 6th century AD, what we now call the Korean Peninsula was divided into the three kingdoms of Paekje, Koguryo, and Silla. Silla, being the smallest kingdom and also the weakest militarily, decided to act so as not to be completely obliterated by its neighbors. Chin Heung, the 24th king of Silla, created a group of warriors called HwaRang. The HwaRang dedicated their lives to training with weapons and SooBak in hopes of saving Silla. SooBak was a form of foot combat, which included only a little involvement with the hands. The HwaRang took SooBak and added it to create an art closer to what we know today as Taekwondo, Taekkyeon. Using TaekKyon, Silla managed to defeat both of its neighbors and began a prosperous era of unified Korea, although it was overthrown and replaced by the Koryo dynasty some time later. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay During the Koryo Dynasty, Taekkyon grew more systematically and became a compulsory subject for military cadets. However, towards the end of the dynasty, the development of gunpowder significantly hindered the Taekkyon's usefulness as a weapon. During the Yi Dynasty, Taekwondo, then called subakhui, lost government support as an official weapon and became more of a popular game, although it was still taught by private instructors. The second major blow to art was under Japanese colonial rule of Korea. In their urge to suppress and repress the Korean people and Korean culture, all folklore games were banned, including taekkyondo, as it was called at the time. Until 1945, the year the country was liberated, taekkyondo was passed down in secret, passed down from masters of the art due to the constant threat of imprisonment if they were captured. After the liberation of Korea from the Japanese, the Korean people began to bring back their suppressed culture, including taekkyondo. Five schools, or kwans, were opened to teach martial arts: Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Yung Moo Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan, and Chi Do Kwan. In 1950, a master named Duk Sung Son began teaching a form of martial art to policemen, with great success. He was appointed chief instructor of the signal corps and, later, was appointed cadet instructor of the Korean Military Academy. In 1952, a Taekkyondo master, Song Duk-Ki, presented a demonstration of his martial art during a birthday celebration of Syngman Rhee, the new president of Korea, with the aim of distinguishing Korean martial arts from karate and kendo Japanese, as well as all the others introduced during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Rhee was very impressed, so much so that he ordered his military leaders to immediately begin training in these taekkyondo for all Korean soldiers. Two years after the end of the Korean War, in 1953, a meeting was called in hopes of unifying all the kwan under one name. The meeting eventually decided on a name: Tang Soo Do, which literally means "The Way of the Tang Hand", referring to Korea's Tang Dynasty. However, within two years, a new name was chosen: Taekwondo.