Korean Taekwondo Association

Despite the historic merging, dissention between the kwans did not end at the 1955 meeting. There was still much animosity between the various masters.

In November 1958, the Korea Tang-Soo Do Association applied for membership to the Korea Amateur Sports Association (KASA) but it was denied because there was a rival organization, the Korea Kong-Soo Do Association. The KASA agreed to accept the application only if both organizations united as one. Representatives of the two associations met and agreed to unite under the name Korea Soo-Bahk-Do Association. However, before the application could be approved, General Choi sent a petition delaying the proceedings because his school, the Oh-Do-Kwan, was being left out of the process. Finally, on September 3, 1959, representatives of the six kwans agreed to unite under the name Korea Taekwondo Association and Choi was elected its president, however, this organization would not last very long. Members who attended the meeting were:

• The Director of the Korean Amateur Sports Association
• The Director of Physical Education from the Ministry of Education
• General Choi Hong Hi
• The Kwang Jang of the major kwans: Chung Do Kwan, Oh Do Kwan, Song Moo Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan. and Moo Duk Kwan.

Also in 1959, Choi published his first work on Taekwondo, entitled Taekwondo Guidelines, and was appointed the deputy commander of the Second Army in Tae-gu.

Choi was elected president because of his position as a general in the Korean Army (under a military regime) and because he promised the heads of the original kwans that he would promote Taekwondo.  He also had the support of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sports, which was the official sports governing body in Korea. However, the country was poor and had other more pressing concerns than spending valuable resources on martial arts. Because the government failed to come through with the things Choi had promised, he fell into disfavor with the other kwan heads.

General Choi was accused of being autocratic and not consulting other kwans in decisions. Black Belts holders from all civilian kwans had to retest for their black belts when they joined the army. Only members from Ohdokwan and Nam Tae Hi's Chungdokwan were exempted. General Choi said that Jidokwan, Changmookwan, and other schools had different structural forms from the Ohdokwan and Chungdokwan so the military needed to test their members. Choi was also accused of dispatching instructors without consultation. General Choi had extreme power because his military positions and the backing of the Liberal Party of President Syngman Rhee, so he overshadowed all the other master of other kwans.

According to a  statement published on June 15, 1959 in the Seoul Shinmoon newspaper, Duk Song Son rescinded a honorary 4th Dan ranking he had awarded Choi in 1955 at the request of Tae Hi Nam while Son was the 2nd head of the Chung Do Kwan . The Moo-Duk-Kwan and Ji-Do-Kwan withdrew from the group. Son Duk Sung of the Chung-Do-Kwan, the largest civilian gym in Korea, also remained aloof. Son developed the Korean Soo-Bahk-Do Association as a rival of the KTA and finally left Korea.

General Choi served as president of the KTA until 1962 when he was promoted as Ambassador to Malaysia General Myung Shin Chae took over as president of the Korea Taekwondo Association, and few days later, Choi read in a newspaper that the name Taekwondo had been changed to Taesoodo. On September 19, 1961, by presidential decree, the newly formed association became the Korea Taesoodo Association. This is considered the "true" inauguration of the KTA. Mr. Chae Myung Shin (a non-martial artist) was chosen the first KTA president, serving until January 15, 1965. When Choi returned from Malaysia in 1965, he was elected President of Korea Taesoodo Association (from September 1961 until January 1965, Choi had not served in the Korea Tae-soodo Association as either an officer or president).

Choi served as president for one year, during which he convinced the association to change its name back to the Korea Taekwondo Association. The name change was completed on August 5, 1965. On January 30, 1966, Noh Byung Jik, founder of the song-moo-kwan, was elected president of the KTA. From 1967 through 1969, Kim Yong Chae was president of the KTA. From 1970 through 2004, Dr. Ung Yong Kim was president of the KTA

On February 23, 1963, President Park Chung Hee told the various martial arts associations to unify under the banner of the KTA and come under the auspices of the Korean Athletics Association. The government said it would only officially recognize black belts that were certified by the KTA. This caused many of the renegade martial artists to return to the KTA.

On February 25, 1962, the KTA became the 27th affiliate to join the Korea Amateur Sports Association. On October 9, 1963, Taekwondo became an official event for the first time in the 44th National Athletic Meet. It was during this meet that great leaps in the development of Taekwondo competition rules and protective equipment occurred.