Taekwon-Do was founded by General Choi Hong-Hi with the help of Nam Tae-Hee and various Korean martial arts pioneers. Using his knowledge of Chinese calligraphy to name the art using three Chinese characters (跆拳道) on April 11th, 1955. Literally, Taekwon-Do is the “way of destruction with the hand and foot.” Nicknamed the “Korean art of Self-Defense,” Taekwon-Do was originally developed for the South Korean army, some of the first demonstrations of the art were done by Gen. Choi’s 19th Infantry Division for President Syngman Rhee.