When Lee Won Kuk was the kwan jang for the Chung
Do Kwan, he called his style Tang Soo Do (Way of China Hand), which is the Korean pronunciation of karate-do, the style Lee studied under Gichin and Gigo Funakoshi. Ro Byung Jik, who also studied with the Funakoshi’s at the same institution (Chuo University in Tokyo), but who studied at a later date than Lee, used the Korean pronunciation of the newer karate-do meaning (as defined by the Dai Nippon Butokukai in the mid-1930s) when he called the style he taught at the Song Moo Kwan “Kong Soo Do”. All Korean schools of karate called their styles either Tang Soo Do or Kong Soo Do until late 1954 and early 1955. In fact, it took a long time for most Korean masters to finally accept the term Tae Kwon Do. Some never did (like Hwang Kee), as you know.

Whang Ki Kim (Kim, Whang Ki) was NEVER a student of Hwang Kee, although he WAS a senior member of Hwang’s organization, the Moo Duk Kwan. When he returned to Korea with a 3rd dan in Shudokan karate from Kanken Toyama and he chose not to open his own dojang. He later chose to join Hwang Kee’s organization (the Moo Duk Kwan) because he agreed with Hwang’s desire to remain independent of the Korean Tae Kwan Do Association. However, he was an instructor and always had his own dojang(s) while he was in the Moo Duk Kwan. Again, He was NEVER a student of Hwang Kee. In fact, he was actually more qualified to be a kwan jang than Hwang Kee was, but some people didn’t like all the politics and self-promotion it took to be a kwan jang in Korea, and I don’t blame them. Hwang was not that good when he got started. His first attempts at teaching his style (Hwa Soo Do) in 1945 and 1946 were unsuccessful. He decided to get with the program in 1947, when Lee was put under house arrest, and start a Tang Soo Do school. That was really when the Moo Duk Kwan was founded, regardless of what he and others in the Moo Duk Kwan might way.

By the way, the Chung Do Kwan in the 1940s and early 1950s (up until 1953) was actually named the Chung Do Hwe. When Lee Won Kuk had to leave Korea (and go back to Japan), Choi Hong Hi was put in charge of the administration of the new Chung Do Kwan for a short amount of time. Therefore, in 1955, many of the Chung Do Kwan dojangs began to call their style Tae Kwon Do, under that temporary, honorary kwan jang. Later, when Duk Sang Song (the chosen leader for the Chung Do Kwan by the former kwan jang, Lee Won Kuk) became the kwang jang, he finally agreed to call the style Tae Kwon Do.

Yes, Hwang Kee was a student at the Chung Do Hwe under Lee, Won Kuk. That is true. However, he did not train regularly, as a regular student. Lee Won Kuk had said that Hwang never really achieved a rank at the Chung Do Hwe, and I guess that all we can do is take his word for it. However, Hwang was friends with a number of the top students at the Chung Do Hwe and he exchanged information and checked his forms with them. However, it is there that Hwang learned the dojang protocol and traditions that he continued at the Moo Duk Kwan, when he decided to teach Tang Soo Do in 1947.

Next comment: "I have 1st Red at TSD, and 5th black at [...]"
Previous comment: "Like everyting in life reap what you sow [...]"