Choi Yong Sool
According to recorded facts Choi is brought out as young Korean boy, whose strong connection to Hapkido happened during 1904 to 1986. Every detail about his existence in Japan at that tender age, becoming a houseboy and later Sokaku Takeda’s adopted son is very contentious. Tanomo Saigo inherited an influential figure in the origin of Daito-Ryu in 1758 to 1853 that began with Soemon Takeda who taught aik-in-ho-yo. The man was involved in Boshin war but was later to lead a life of priesthood as Hoshina and is said to have adopted a son, Shiro Shida who learned Ryu ardently but declined and moved away to Nagasaki. That is how, SoKaku Takeda the grandson of Soemon Takeda became the next person to undergo training in the martial arts in 1860 to 1943 and had passion for adventure and travel. According to the legend he had a habit of gathering students and that explains how Choi Yong Sool who later became his manservant went to Japan.
During a visit to the US in 1980, Choi revealed in an interview that he was actually adopted by Takeda at the age of 11, given the name Yoshida Asao, trained with the master for thirty years to become his teaching assistant and the best student. Other claims contradict all this affirming that Choi was a houseboy and that the new name was Tujujutu Yoshida. Although there is a lot of controversy regarding who between Choi and his key students Suh Bok and Ji Han Jae is attributed to the roots of Hapkido he is still a very outstanding figure. Suh Bok
The involvement of Suh in Hapkido, a Korea University graduate, a Judo black belt holder started during his twenty’s in 1948 and it was triggered by Choi Yong Sool’s self defense skills against a band of guys in Suh Brewery Company field after an argument. Suh was the company’s chairman and was clearly impressed by what he had observed therefore requested Choi to launch martial arts coaching for workers as well him and by 1951 established Korean Yu Kwan Sool Hapki Training hall that they both shortened to Hapkido eight years later.
Kim Moo Hong
He was a beneficiary student of the Training hall mentioned above, who is recognized for developing a kicking program much late in the year 1961, along with Ji Han Jae having taught at Suh’s Joong Ang training hall located in Daegu slightly before. At the same time, he founded Shin-Moo-Kwan-training hall around Jong Myo part of Seoul and attracted students such as Kim Woo-Tak, Lee Han-Chul, Lee Joo Bang and others who also established their own training halls. By 1969, Kim was set on a mission to train Hapkido in US by Korea Kido association and came back to start his own group.
Ji Han Jae
This man’s path is easy to chalk out, than Choi Young Sool’s because he was among his initial the senior students and by 1957 Ji Han was a hapkido teacher, who incorporated Older Korean Kicking and punching tactics. In 1963, Ji joined others like Kim Jung-Yoon and Choi Young Sool to form Korea Kido Association with the latter as the chairman. To exercise desired control, Ji declined and formed Korea Hapkido Association two years later and in 1973 this organization and others formed by other influential leaders of hapkido merged to form Republic of Korea Hapkido Association. Eleven years later Ji moved onto Germany and later to the States and came up with new developments.
Others
There are several other characters worth mentioning who may have contributed to the development of hapkido such as Myung Jae Nam, who is recognized for pursuing hankido and till his demise in 1999 was the leader of International HKD federation, a Korean key organization for Hapkido. Lim Hyun Soo is renowned for opening in October 24th 1974, Jung Ki Kwan after being a student of the starring hapkido figure Choi Young- Sool from 1965 to 1981