The exact origin of Tang Soo Do is hard to trace.  It is difficult to indicate where it started or who it was started by. It can be shown, however, that the history of Martial Arts began with the beginning of human existence.

Early man had to fight to defend himself against predators using only bare hands and feet. They were the only weapons at the time; therefore it was necessary to learn to use them and the body as a defensive weapon.  As humans progressed and developed, so did the Martial Arts.

The Martial Arts did not develop in any one specific place because there were different cultures and areas of human development. However, geographically the Martial Arts originated mainly in the Central Asia area and migrated to other areas as mankind slowly migrated to those regions.

The Korean art of Tang Soo Do, or Soo Bahk Do as it is sometimes called in Korea, has recorded history back to the Kokuryo Dynasty as early as 37 A.D.  Tang Soo Do has continuous history through the Silla Dynasty (668 - 935 A.D.), the Ko Ryo Dynasty (935 - 1392 A.D.) and the Yi Dynasty (1392 - 1907). The public study of most Martial Arts in Korea halted with the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1907 - 1945.

Since 1945, Tang Soo Do has evolved into many different organizations. The Pak’s Karate Academy style of Tang Soo Do is based on the Moo Duk Kwan style developed by Hwang Kee.

*** Information gathered from the book titled Tang Soo Do written by Hwang Kee