3. Present day Taekwondo.

Upon liberation of Korea from the Japanese colonial rule after World War II, Taekwondo began its new prosperity. Martial art experts opened their Taekwondo gymnasiums all over the country after Korea regained its independence in 1945, martial artists associated many different names of the traditional Korean martial art: Soobakdo, Kongsoodo, and Tangsoodo, resulting in Taekwondo in 1954. In 1961 Taekwondo was called Taesoodo, when the Taesoodo association was formed on 16th September. The Taesoodo Association changed its name to the Korean Taekwondo Association on 5th August, 1965.

The Taekwondo Association was accepted as an official member of the Korean Amateur Sports Association on 20 June 1962. Taekwondo was entered as a demonstration sport of the 44th National Games on 24th October, 1963 and then as an official event for the 45th National Games on 3 September 1964.

On 28th October 1966, the first Taekwondo competition for the Winning of the President's Flag was held and following the nomination of Taekwondo as a national martial art in 1971, the present Kukkiwon was founded in 1972 to be used as the central gymnasium as well as the site of various Taekwondo competitions. On 28 May 1973 the World Taekwondo Federation was established, currently having 108 countries as its members. In 1973 the biennial World Taekwondo Championships was organized.

Again in 1974, Taekwondo was admitted to the Asian Games as an offical event. In 1975 Taekwondo was accepted as an official sport by the U. S. Amateur Athletes Union(AAU) and also admitted to the General Association of International Sports Federations(GAISF), followed by the adoption as an official sports event by the International council of Military Sports(CISM) in 1976. President Kim of the World Taekwondo Federation(WTF) was elected chairman of the World Federation of Non-Olympic sports. The WTF became an IOC-recognized sports federation in 1980, making Taekwondo an Olympic sport.

Then the adoption of Taekwondo as an official event was followed by the World Games in 1981, the Pan-American Games in 1986, and finally by the 2000 Olympiad to be held in Australia.