1953: Kang Duk Won. A second incarnation of Chang-moo-kwan, Kang Duk Won was founded after the Korean War by Hong Jong Pyo and Park Chul Hee, who had practiced martial arts at the YMCA Kwon Bup Bu.

The Kang Duk Won (house of teaching generosity) was founded  in the Shin Sul Dong district of Seoul after YMCA Kwon Bup Bu's founder, Yoon Byung In, was kidnapped to North Korea. Hong Jong Pyo and Park Chul Hee had conflicts with Lee Nam Suk and Kim Soon Bae in the YMCA Kwon Bup Bu, so they left and formed Kang-duk-kwan. Park Chul Hee, the second Kang Duk Won Kwan Jang, said: "After the Korean War when the members were scattered the Chang Moo Kwan and Kang Duk Won came out of the YMCA Kwon Bup Bu's root."

The first Kang-duk-kwan black belts were: Lee, Kum Hong (later he was World Taekwondo Federation General Secretary); Kim, Yong Chae (later was 5th President of the Korea Taekwondo Association); Lee, Jung Hoo; Lee, Kang Hwi; Han, Jung Il; Kim, Pyung Soo; Ji, Seung Won; and Im, Bok Jin.

Later the Kang Duk Won constantly moved from Chang Sin Dong to Chung Jin Dong, then to Suh Dae Moon Gu, then to Seoul Gymnasium, then to Suh Dae Moon Gu Lottery, and other places. When Lee Kum Hong became the third Kwan Jang, the Kang Duk Won moved to In Sa Dong and settled there.

1954: Jung Do Kwan. Founded by Lee Yong Woo in Suh Dae Moon Gu, Seoul.

The Jung-do-kwan had no conflicts with the chung do kwan, which made it unique amongst branch kwans. The school's motto was "I am an honorable man without shame."

Lee Yong Woo discusses the naming of his school said "I wanted to open a dojang, but just couldn't think of any good names. At that time, my training buddy, Uhm Woon Kyu in the Chung Do Kwan suggested to take out the dot from Chung character and name my school the Jung Do Kwan. This was a very good idea I thought. The meaning of Jung Do, 'Stepping the right way', was the identical meaning of a martial artist's spirit, so I've decided to name my school the Jung Do Kwan."

Word of Lee Yong Woo's unique training program that was distinctive from other schools attracted many students. To meet the increasing number of students, Lee Yong Woo taught five different classes, which finished late at night. The Jung Do Kwan opened additional schools in Masan, Wool San, Chang Won, Mok Po, and Kim Je, spreading its power.

The Jung Do Kwan's first students were Jang Yong Gap, Kim Jae Ki, Kim Ki Dong, Oh Bu Woong, Joo Ki Moon, and Park Tae Hyun. Later, following in their footsteps were Park Kyung Sun, Shim Myung Gu, (Kim Myung Hwan, Kim Hak Kuen, Chun Young Kuen, Chun Sun Yong, and Lee Jong Oh.

1954: Han Moo Kwan. The Han-moo-kwan was founded by Lee Kyo Yoon in August 1954.

Lee Kyo Yoon became a leader of the new schools in the mid 1950's. He opened a school in the backyard of Kang Moon High School in Seoul, which led to the founding of the Han-moo-kwan. Lee denies that the Han Moo Kwan was a split from the Ji Do Kwan. After the Chosun Yun Moo Kwan's Chun Sang Sup was kidnapped to North Korea during the Korean War, everything was in chaos, so Lee Chong Woo opened the Ji Do Kwan, and Lee Kyo Yoon himself opened the Han Moo Kwan. Therefore less says tgat Han Moo Kwan's root is not Ji Do Kwan, but rather from the Chosun Yun Moo Kwan.

Lee Kyo Yoon says, "In November 1950, I came back to Seoul and taught Tang Soo Do (Taekwondo). But the Choson Yun Moo Kwan's Lee Jae Hwang said the building I was using was a Yudo place, so he insisted that I leave. After thinking for a long time, I went to visit Vice President Lee Sang Mook of the Korean Amateur Sports Gymnasium (Han Kuk Che Yuk Kwan, Han Che for short) and he allowed me to start a Taekwondo club and teach."

Back then, the Han Kuk Che Yuk Kwan taught boxing, Judo, wrestling, weight lifting and fencing as a universal gym. With the permission of Lee Sang Mook, Lee Kyo Yoon taught Taekwondo (Tangsoodo) temporarily and secured 200 members. However, conflicts with Lee Chong Woo became amplified and with Lee Sang Mook's suggestion, he temporarily stopped teaching Taekwondo. Then he went to Chang Sin Dong of Jong Ro Gu, Seoul at the backyard of Kang Moon High School to open his own school. This led to the founding of the Han Moo Kwan. The period of the Chang Sin Dong was a hardship. He called his tent with a straw mat for a floor, a dojang. Despite this hard life, his school reputation grew and finally in 1969, he could open his central dojang in Wang Sip Ni, Seoul.

Although each of these kwans claimed to teach traditional Taekkyon, each emphasized a different aspect of Subak/Taekkyon and various names emerged for each fighting style. Styles became known by such names as Subak-do, Kwon-bop, Kong-soo-do, Tae-soo-do, and Dang-soo-do.

A rivalry existed between the kwans for control of the Korean martial arts. Dissension between the kwans prevented the formation of a central regulating board for many years. However, during those years, martial arts gained a strong foothold within the newly formed Korean Armed Forces (1945), with Taekkyon becoming a regular part of military training. The new Korean Army adopted the chung-do-kwan as its training school, mainly because of the kwan's tough, disciplined training, its stability, and the great expertise of its instructors. The Korean Yudo Association was formed in September 1945, and, in early 1946,Taekkyon masters began teaching troops stationed in Kwang-ju.

In July 1946, grandmasters Won Kuk Lee (chung-do-kwan), Byung Jick Noh (Song-moo-kwan), Sang Sup Chun (Yun-moo-kwan), and Byung In Yoon (YMCA kwon) met to discuss Korean martial arts and possible unification. Grandmaster Hwang Kee (Moo-duk-kwan) was not present. Since his two previous efforts at opening a dojang had failed, he had joined the Chung-do-kwan as a white belt. He stayed there for six months before reopening his Moo-duk-kwan in early 1947. Nothing definitive came from the meeting.

In 1946-1947, Choi Hong Hi, now a first lieutenant in the Korean Army's Second Infantry Regiment, taught martial arts to both Koreans and Americans stationed at Tae-jon. He continued to rise rapidly through the military ranks, and, in 1948, Major Choi Hong Hi became the martial arts instructor for the American Military Police School in Seoul. In late 1948, Choi was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and, in 1949, to full colonel. Also in 1949, he visited the Fort Riley Ground General School in Kansas, where he gave a public demonstration of Korean karate.

With the beginning of the Korean War, when North Korea attacked across the 38th parallel into South Korea, interest in Korean martial arts increased. This set the foundation for a major turning point in Korean martial arts in 1952.