In 1790 AD, the King T'aejo ordered General Lee Duck Mu and scholars Back Je Ga and Back Dong Soo to compile an official textbook on all the current Korean martial arts, the Muyedobo-tongji, which is now considered a classic of Korean martial arts literature. It was the first book widely available on Taekkyon and it helped promote the art among the general population. Before this time, the art had been restricted primarily to the military nobility. The book used drawings made from carved wooden blocks and consisted of about forty pages of Korean style paper. It illustrated many facets of martial training, outlined the proper equipment and uniform, and recorded various empty hand and weapons hyung. The book described how Taekkyon enabled one to build strength by training the arms and legs, as well as the body, to be adaptable to any critical situation.

The Muyedobo-tongji included 18 techniques from the two previous treatises, four sets for horsemen (with double sword, spear, flail, and big sword), including horseback acrobatics, and a game similar to horse polo. Techniques using the shield and sword indicate the influence of the Chinese strategist Qi Jiguang and the empty-hand combat techniques are considered Chinese in origin.

Muyedobo-tongji became the standard text for military instruction. The fourth volume "Hand Fighting Techniques" contained the illustration of 38 motions that resemble modern Taekwondo forms and basic movements. However, those motions can not be directly compared with contemporary Taekwondo forms that have been modernized through scientific studies.

While King T'aejo was not able to reverse the trend of disinterest in the martial skills, the publication of Muyedobo-tongji led to the subsequent popularizing of the art among the public. The book was responsible for the survival of Taekkyon during this era and it provided a written record of native Korean martial arts for future generations.

Although desirous of peace during the latter part of the 18th century, Korea was drawn yet again into world events and consequently was to suffer severely. During the 17th and 18th centuries, a money economy and a market system were established. The resulting political and social changes severely strained Korea's political and social system, which in the 19th century began to break down. Christianity, introduced in 1784 AD from China, put native institutions and values under even greater stress.

Korea was open to invasion, powerless, with a population of twelve million people and a standing army of a mere six thousand men. The Confucian government's obstinate disapproval of the military establishment was sorely felt. In 1864, Taewongun seized power, outlawed Christianity, and repelled military interventions by France (1866) and the United States (1871). These reforms, however, triggered the downfall of Taewongun himself.

Progressive elements within the Korean court, with the aid of the Japanese, staged a series of revolts beginning in 1882. In 1894, the Tonghak Rebellion brought both Japanese and Chinese troops onto Korean soil to protect Korea's interests and to influence the Korean monarchy.

In 1894, Japan and China went to war (Sino-Japanese War) for possession of Korea, with the Japanese promising Korea freedom if they were victorious. Japan won the war in 1895 but did not keep its promise; it kept Korea under Japanese control. When Queen Min was murdered by Japanese agents in 1896, King Kojong sought protection from the foreign legations, and the Russian legation sheltered him from the Japanese for nearly a year. Russia, which had a growing interest in Korea, seized on Japan's broken promise to Korea as an excuse for military intervention and went to war with Japan in 1904 (Russo-Japanese War). Japan moved many more troops into Korea to strengthen their military forces and emerged victorious against Russia in 1905, but it left Korea under even tighter Japanese control.

The Unites States tacitly recognized Japanese control of Korea with the Taft-Katsura Agreement signed On July 31, 1905 by Japanese Prime Minister Taro Katsura (1848-1913) and U.S. Secretary of War William Howard Taft (1857-1920) under U.S. presidency of Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919). There was little attempt by the Koreans to revolt, except for the assassination of Japanese Prince Hirobumi Ito in 1909 and the disastrous Declaration of Independence in 1919 in which thousands of Korean demonstrators were killed by the Japanese army. Since Korea had virtually no army left with which to defend itself because of the Confucian government's lack of concern for military development, the Joseon Dynasty eventually fell.

The Korean emperor Kojong was forced to abdicate in 1907 and his son became the powerless, puppet emperor of Korea. Kim Kojong's son, the last prince of the Chosun Dynasty, was installed as King Sunjong (1874-1926). He was a pro-Japanese and approved the Annexation Agreement signed on August 22 and promulgated on August 29, 1910 that meant Korea was officially annexed to Japan. Japan annexed Korea to enhance the prosperity of the Japanese people and to serve as a springboard for a later Japanese invasion of China. The signing of the annexation treaty by the Prime Minister happened without the approval of the Korean people. A week after the treaty was signed, King Sunjong was forced to issue a proclamation yielding both his throne and his country.