Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques. The literal translation for taekwondo is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of".

Taekwondo practitioners wear a uniform, known as a dobok. It is a combat sport which was developed during the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists with experience in martial arts such as karate and Chinese martial arts.

The origins of Taekwondo date back to ancient Korea over 2,000 years ago, where martial arts like Taekkyon and Subak were practiced. Murals in ancient tombs, such as the Muyongchong, Goguryeo, and Silla dynasties, depict warriors showcasing fighting stances and techniques similar to those in modern Taekwondo.

After World War II and the Korean War, various Korean martial arts schools, or kwans, sought to unify their practice. In 1955, the Korea Taekwondo Association was formed, and the name “Taekwondo” was chosen to represent the unified martial art. General Choi Hong Hi, one of Taekwondo’s founding fathers, played a crucial role in the merging of kwans and promotion of the martial art.

The main international organizational bodies for taekwondo today are various branches of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), originally founded by Choi Hong-hi in 1966, and the partnership of the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo (WT, formerly World Taekwondo Federation or WTF), founded in 1972 and 1973 respectively by the Korea Taekwondo Association. Gyeorugi, a type of full-contact sparring, has been an Olympic event since 2000. In 2018, the South Korean government officially designated taekwondo as Korea's national martial art.

Today, Taekwondo is practiced in over 200 countries, with millions of practitioners worldwide. Organizations like World Taekwondo and the International Taekwondo Federation remain committed to promoting the martial art’s core values of self-discipline, respect, and perseverance, preserving Taekwondo’s rich history and ensuring its growth in the future.