Following

the ravages of the Second World War and later
the Korean conflict, the nation finally gained its long sought
independence from the Japanese and Chinese aggressors. Korean
masters returning to their native land once again began to practice
the martial arts forbidden by law under the Japanese occupation.
In an effort to restore a national identity, the various
kwans, or martial arts schools, began negotiations in April of
1955 aimed at uniting their styles under a single banner that
would eventually come to be known as taekwondo. Since that
time, the Asian martial arts have become a combined source of
Chapter 1: In the Shadow of the Hwarang