After the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910–1945) ended, various martial arts masters dedicated their lives to developing and bringing back the native martial arts of Korea. After almost 40 years of war and occupation the Korean culture had been all but decimated and replaced by a forced Japanese culture imposed by the occupiers. It is during this time period of social instability and political turmoil that Taekwondo and Hapkido established a relation that will last until today. While both systems of fighting evolved side by side and cross-pollinated and continue to do so, they are in themselves two unique systems of fighting. Taekwondo has grown to be the national sports of Korea and Hapkido the single most respected system of combat and self-defense taught to military and civilians. Bellow we depict the differences between both arts in order to clarify the long standing question: Should a person train (or need to train in both arts?

After the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910–1945) ended, various martial arts masters dedicated their lives to developing and bringing back the native martial arts of Korea. After almost 40 years of war and occupation the Korean culture had been all but decimated and replaced by a forced Japanese culture imposed by the occupiers. It is during this time period of social instability and political turmoil that Taekwondo and Hapkido established a relation that will last until today. While both systems of fighting evolved side by side and cross-pollinated and continue to do so, they are in themselves two unique systems of fighting. Taekwondo has grown to be the national sports of Korea and Hapkido the single most respected system of combat and self-defense taught to military and civilians. Bellow we depict the differences between both arts in order to clarify the long standing question: Should a person train (or need to train in both arts?