Chapter 19: Exportation

In 1980, Choi and 15 of his students, including his son Choi Joong Hwa, made a monumental trip to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This was the first time Taekwondo was introduced to the people of North Korea, Choi’s birthplace. In November 1980, the First All Europe Taekwondo Championships was held in London, with 18 countries participating.

In January 1981, General Choi visited Queensland, Australia, to open the First Pacific Area Taekwondo Championships. During the trip, he helped form the South Pacific Taekwondo Federation as well as the Australian Taekwondo Federation.

In January 1982, the North America Taekwondo Federation was formed in Toronto, Canada. In December 1982, General Choi attended the First Intercontinental Taekwondo Championships held in Naples, Italy.

In October 1984, General Choi visited Budapest, Hungary, to declare the opening of the Third All Europe Taekwondo Championships. This was of particular importance as it was the first large-scale international Taekwondo event to be held in a socialist country.

In April 1985, General Choi visited Puerto Rico to attend the First Latin American General Choi’s Cup. In December 1985, various festivals celebrating the 30th anniversary of Taekwondo were held in Quebec, Canada sponsored by the Taekwondo Federation of Canada.

In June 1986, General Choi took a Korean Taekwondo demonstration team to the People’s Republic of China. This visit eventually motivated China to adopt Taekwondo.