Taekwondo is a Korean martial art, which can be translated as "the way of the hand and foot," and is characterized by its emphasis on high, quick, jumping, and spinning kick techniques. During the mid-1940s, the use of taekwondo was adopted by the South Korean military, which increased its popularity among civilian martial arts schools. As an Olympic sport, during the 1988 Seoul Games, taekwondo made its debut as a demonstration and later became an official medal sport at the 2000 Sydney Games.
