The martial art of Tang Soo Do is relatively modern. Its origin, the Korean art of Soo Bahk Do, dates back many centuries. Tang Soo Do is a composite style, being 60% Soo Bahk Do, 30% Northern Chinese and 10% Southern Chinese. Our kicking techniques, for which Tang Soo Do is unsurpassed, are based on Soo Bahk Do. Soo Bahk Do was first developed during the Silla Dynasty (668-935 AD), but enjoyed its real development during the Koryo Dynasty (935-1392 A.D>).
Tang Soo Do is both a hard and soft style, deriving its hardness in part from Soo Bahk and its soft flowing movements from the Northern Chinese systems.

The man who developed Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, Grandmaster Hwang Kee, is a martial arts legend, having mastered Tae Kyun (another Korean system not related to Tae Kwon Do) and Soo Bahk Do at the age of 22. At that time, (1936), he traveled to Northern China. There he encountered a Chinese variation of martial artistry called the Tang Method and developed what was to be known as Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan.
Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan (a brotherhood, and school of stopping inner and outer conflict, developing virtue according to the way of the worthy hand) is not a sport. Though it is not essentially competitive, it has great combat applications. It is a classical martial art, and its purpose is to develop every aspect of the body, in order to create a mature personality who totally integrates his intellect, body, emotions, and spirit. This total integration helps to create a person who is free from inner conflict and who can deal with the outside world in a mature, intelligent, forthright, and virtuous manner.