Yong Shul Choi

Choi remained in the employ of Takeda for thirty years, until April 25, 1943, when Takeda died. At that point, Choi returned to Taegue, Korea. After Korea's liberation, Choi set about founding his own martial art.

Initially, Choi taught his students a very pure form of Daito-ryu Aikijitsu, but, as time progressed, he was influenced by other Korean martial art pioneers, such as General Hong Hi Choi and Hwang Kee, who were expanding upon the offensive nature of Taekkyon. Their discoveries influenced Choi, who slowly began to incorporate their punching and kicking techniques into Daito-ryu Aikijitsu. Like the other martial arts, his new style developed slowly and went through numerous name changes. It was not until 1963 that the name and the system of "Hapkido" (the way of joining power) was finally formalized. Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, studied Daito-ryu Aikijitsu with Takeda during the period Choi was in Takeda's service. For this reason, some draw a comparison between Hapkido and Aikido. Although they are similar, they each have distinct martial art philosophies.

Choi Hong Hi

Choi Hong Hi was born on  November 9, 1918 (Eastern calendar) or December 22, 1918 (Western calendar) in the rugged, mountainous, harsh area of Hwa Dae, Myong Chun District, in what is now North Korea. At the time, Korea was under Japanese occupation and it had not yet been divided into a North and South Korea. Choi was the third of eight children, five boys and three girls, of family that owned a brew house. In his youth, he was frail and sickly and was a constant source of worry for his parents. However, even at an early age, he showed a strong, independent spirit.  

In 1930, during the Japanese occupation of Korea, a group of female Korean students on a train bound for Kwang-ju City were harassed by a group of Japanese students. When the train arrived in Kwang-ju, a group outraged Korean students attacked the Japanese students. The Japanese police arrived and ruthlessly crushed the group of Korean students. The incident was known as the Kwang-ju Student Uprising. 

As word of the incident spread throughout Korea, students in schools around the country staged strikes and walkouts to protest the outrageous acts of the Japanese students and police. At the time of the uprising, Choi was twelve years of age and a fifth grade school pupil. He planned and directed a mass student walkout from his school in protest of the uprising and was indefinitely suspended from the Japanese school system for his actions. This was the beginning of what would be a long association Choi had with the Kwang-ju Students Independence Movement.

After his expulsion from school, Choi's father sent him to study calligraphy under one of the most famous teachers in Korea, Han Il Dong. His father felt that Choi could later use these skills to carve tombstones. Later in his life, Choi became a prize winning calligrapher. Han, who was also a master of Taekkyon, was concerned over the frail condition of his new student and began teaching Choi the rigorous exercises of Taekkyon to help build his body. Choi studied under Han for seven years.

In 1937, Choi became interested in studying Western culture, sciences and laws. His friends had been studying the West in Japan and they encouraged him to come to Japan. Choi's father was satisfied with his proficiency in calligraphy so he sent Choi to Japan to further his education

Shortly before leaving for Japan, Choi had an argument with a massive professional wrestler, named Hu. Choi lost all his money he was to use in Japan to Hu during a card game and Hu refused to return some of the money. As Hu turned too leave, Choi threw a ink well at him that hit him on the forehead and knocked him unconscious. Choi grabbed the money and left for Japan. Hu promised to tear the youth limb from limb at their next encounter. This threat seemed to give a new impetus to young Choi’s training in the martial arts. Choi has explained that after this event, "I resolved to become a black belt holder in karate while I was in Japan." 

In Kyoto, Japan, Choi considered learning boxing, but a fellow Korean, Kim Hyun Soo, a Shotokan karate instructor, convinced Choi to train with him at Dong Dai Sa University. After two years of concentrated training, Choi earned his first dan in Shotokan karate from Kim. To improve his educational opportunities, Choi later moved to Tokyo and entered the Dong A Business High School which allowed him to later enter the Law School of Choong Ang University. While at the university, Choi continued his Shotokan studies under master Guchin Funagoshi. After earning his second dan in Shotokan, Choi and his friend Byung In Yoon taught Shotokan karate on the roof of the Tokyo YMCA. Choi recalls that, during this time, he struck or kicked every lamppost in the city to make the copper wires overhead vibrate. Choi said that:

"I would imagine that these were the techniques I would use to defend myself against the wrestler, Mr. Hu, if he did attempt to carry out his promise to tear me limb from limb when I eventually returned to Korea."

Whereas Oyama stayed in Japan, Choi returned to Korea. With the outbreak of World War II, he was forced to enlist in the Japanese army as a student volunteer on October 20, 1943. He sent to basic training at Seoul National University. While at his post in the 42nd Unit of the Pyongyang Division in Korea, Choi became involved with a group of about 30 Korean student-soldiers that had decided to escape to the Baek Mountains located on the Manchuria-Korean border, an incident known as the Pyongyang Student Soldiers' Incident or the Korean Independence Movement. The escape plan failed after it was discovered by the Japanese military. Choi was convicted as the planner and was interned at a Japanese prison during his eight-month pretrial examination. While in prison, to alleviate the boredom and keep physically fit, Choi practiced his martial art in the solitude of his cell. In a short time, his cellmate and the jailer became his students. Eventually, the prison courtyard became a gymnasium.