Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Taekwondo, was a South Korean army general who was born in what was to be North Korea.
General Choi was born in Korea on November 9, 1918 (according to the traditional lunar calendar, or December 22, 1918, according to the Gregorian calendar).
General Choi was born in the future North Korea during the Japanese Colonial Period and died in P'yŏngyang, the North Korean capital, on June 15, 2002. During his adult life, however, Choi lived in Japan and South Korea, gaining the title "General" during his career in the South Korean army.