Many heavyweights who led the popularization of taekwondo of mid and late part of the 1940s, such as Master Yi Wong Gwok, the founder of Seitokan, mastered karate in Japan (mainly Shotokan-ryu karate, since, from the name 'Seitokan' the influence of Shotokan is obvious).
青涛館創立者の李元国（イ・ウォングク）翁など1940年代中後半にテコンドーを広めるのに先頭に立った多くの元老たちが日本でカラテ（主に松涛館流、これは青涛館の命名にもその影響が見て取れる）を修練した人々である。