Choi's Institute of Tae Kwon Do
has a long history and tradition. In
1968 Grand Master Dan K. Choi,
along with several other
instructors, came to California
from Korea to introduce the then-
unknown martial art of Tae Kwon
Do to the United States. Grand
Master Dan K. Choi became one
of the first people to teach Tae
Kwon Do in the Bay Area. In 1971
Grand Master Dan K. Choi
opened Santa Clara Valley's first
Tae Kwon Do studio, Choi's
Institute of Tae Kwon Do. Over
the years, Choi's Institute of Tae
Kwon Do has produced many
excellent black belts, some of
whom have become national and
World Cup champions. Instructors
at many Tae Kwon Do or martial
arts schools in the Bay Area got
their start under Grand Master
Dan K. Choi or Grand Master
Hyun K. Choi. For example: Ernie
Reyes, and Tony Thompson, who
were among Grand Master Dan K.
Choi's first black belts, went on to
found West Coast Karate.

Many of Grand Master Choi's
students have gone on to open
their own Choi's affiliated schools
under Grand Master Choi's
guidance. In 1998 Grand Master
Hyun K. Choi founded the United
Tae Kwon Do Association to unify
all of the Choi's affiliated studios.
Currently, the UTA has twelve
schools throughout the United
States and one affiliate school in
Seoul, Korea. The UTA has over
250 World Tae Kwon Do
Federation (WTF) accredited
black belts. The current United
Tae Kwon Do Association's
membership includes national and
international tournament
champions, 35 USTU certified
referees, and 8 international
referees (qualified to referee in
international tournaments such as
the Olympics).