The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) was founded in 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska by Haeng Ung Lee, a former Traditional Taekwondo instructor in the South Korean military. Lee's motivation was to develop a combat-style of taekwondo albeit one with greater emphasis on kicking. ATA is one of the largest taekwondo organizations in the United States, and in the world, claiming a membership of over 350,000. The ATA is currently headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas and led by In Ho Lee.