Flag of South Korea

The official name of the South Korean flag is Taegeukgi. It was approved on July 12, 1948, and consists of a white background, a red and blue taeguk circle in the center, and four black trigrams (collectively called gonggongamri), one in each corner of the flag.

What is the meaning of the symbols of the South Korean flag?

• white symbolizes brightness, purity, innocence and peace - qualities that are highly valued by the people;
• taegeuk - has long been a commonly used motif denoting the harmony between yin - the blue part and yang - the red part, depicting the natural truth that all things are created and developed through the interaction of yin and yang;
• The trigrams are black block lines called geongongamri. The four black trigrams are concrete representations of movement and harmony:
  • (Heaven) - three lines in the upper left corner;
  • (Earth) - six lines in the lower right corner;
  • (Water) - five lines in the upper right corner;
  • (Fire) - four lines in the lower left corner;

By upholding the spirit and meaning of taeguk, people strive to achieve unity and unification, and to contribute to happiness and peace on the planet.

History of the South Korean flag (Taegeukgi)

The official appearance of the Taegeukgi took place only on October 15, 1949. The production of the national flag of Korea began after the signing of the Korean-American Treaty of 1882, when the country decided to adopt its own flag. Information about the first flag chosen for this ceremony has not been preserved, but according to Park Young-hyo's records, in September 1882, he created a flag with four trigrams and a taegeuk circle. The Korean flag was officially proclaimed the national flag on March 6, 1883 by King Gojong. Subsequently, a national flag style guide was issued, and in 1948, after the establishment of the Republic of Korea, the need to standardize flags was established. The National Flag Correction Committee was established and published a flag production manual. In addition to this, a number of regulations governing flag management were adopted, such as the Flag Act of the Republic of Korea, the Decree on the Application of this Act, and the Regulations on the Raising, Management and Promotion of the National Flag.

Evolution of the South Korean flag (Taegeukgi)

During the reign of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, the Taegeukgi was used with a different direction, size and arrangement of symbols from the modern one. Immediately after the liberation, in the period of 1945-1948, the central element was rotated by 90 degrees. The flag of 1946-1949 had an enlarged yin-yang symbol and longer trigram lines. Over the years, the trigrams changed places and only in 1949 acquired their final location. In 1997, the tone of the blue color was changed to a lighter one.