Thanks for the welcome guys. I am in ITF which uses the traditional forms. However, WTF (Olympic style) also has forms. They are not the ones of ITF but they look almost exactly alike.
The lineage of TKD goes way back into the Korean history of martial arts with China and Japan being huge influences. However, as has been said, the incarnation that we learn today is only traditional to a certain degree. This is why we say MODERN day shotokan was founded in the early 1900's.
Dissing TKD, I shouldn't be used to it but I am. Most people are very ignorant of TKD and base assumptions on what little they have seen in the Olympics for instance.
Jeff Liboiron, perhaps by reading this you will learn more about TKD. The tae in tae kwon do is Korean for hands. Make no mistake, TKD is known for its kicks, but in its true form we do not take away from hands one bit. Here is the reason why people think TKD is all kicks. In the Olympics, tae kwon do sparring is a sport. As a sport, you have to get points to win. As the rules will have it, kicks grant you a huge amount of points to fist techniques. Therefore, if one wants to win they must do everything they can to kick. However, this is TKD ONLY in Olympic sparring. As a martial art, and as a means of self defense it is much more than that. For instance, the forms (both ITF and WTF) are mostly hand techniques. TKD incorporates all shotokan hand techniques as well as many kung fu hand techniques (though I question exactly how much kung fu is in it, which is the point of this topic).
I hope I have cleared up the misconception about TKD for you. Most people have the wrong idea about it. Especially when some schools focus so much on winning tournaments and not on self defense. There is nothing wrong by that, mind you, because, they know that they are doing a sport as well as a martial art.