The South Korean Flag

History of the Flag

It was toward the end of the 19th century during the last years of the Choson Kingdom(1392-1910) that the t'aeguk circle, which is divided into two comma-shaped whirls in red and blue, was adopted as the central symbol of Korea's national flag.

The need for a flag had not been felt until 1875, when Japan sent the ship Unyo to Korea with instructions to create an incident which Japan could use as an excuse to pressure Korea to open its ports.Unyo sailed into Korean waters off Kanghwado Island near Inch'on on the West Coast of the Peninsula, drawing fire from the Korean defenders of the island, just as the Japanese had planned. The following year the Japanese used the Unyo Incident to gain the upper hand in negotiating a "Treaty of Friendship". Incidental to this episode is the fact that Unyo was flying a Japanese flag which inspired discussion at court about whether Korea, too, needed a national flag.

In 1882 a group of reform minded young officials lead by special envoy Pak Yong-hyo visited Japan. These ypung officilas were maiking short-lived but strenuous efforts to modernize Korea which had been isolated from the rest of the world. Their trip to Japan was a part of such efforts, but it had an additional historical significance: a flag similar to the present Korean National Flag was flown for the first time during this trip as the symbol of their nationality.

The original flag, said to have been designed by the mission at the King's suggestion, does not exist today, nor are the details of its design known to contemporary Koreans. But records from this time say that the flag had a t'aeguk circle in red and blue in the center and four trigrams, called kwae, surrounding it.

On March 6 ( the 27th day of the first moon) ,1883 king Kojong of Choson proclaimed by royal decree that the national flag would consist of a t'aeguk circle and four trigrams. The royal decree, however, did not specify the details of the design. Therefore, flags used in this early years all differed a little from one another. During Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945) Korean independence fighters both at home and abroad used the flag as a symbol of Korea's desire for independence and the patriotism of the people.

The Korean National Flag as used today was determined following the establishment of the Government of the Republic of Korea on August 15, 1948. In accordance with intructions from Syngman Rhee (Yi Sung-man), the first president of the Republic, the Ministry of Education on January 4,1949, organized a special commission with 42 members to design a national flag. After a series of meetings convened from February to March, 1949, the commission finally selected a design from among five candidate designs.

Meaning of the Flag

The Korean National Flag, the symbol of the Republic of Korea, is named T'aegukki. The name was deerived from the t'aeguk circle in the center.

The circle is divided equally and in perfect balance. The red upper section represents the yang and the blue lower section stands for the yin. According to traditional Oriental Philosophy, the two symbolize the great cosmic forces, which oppose each other but achieve perfect harmony and balance.

The t'aeguk circle stands for the eternal priciple that everything in the universe is created and develops through the interaction between yin and yang; thus it symbolizes creation and development.

The four trigrams surrounding the circle denote the process of yin and yang going through a spiral of change and growth.

The white background of the flag symbolizes The purity of the Korean people and their peace-loving spirit.

The National Flag in Black and White

When the Korean National Flag is printed in black and white, the field and th eupper section of the circle are left in white, the same color as the background, and the lower section of the circle and the trigrams are printed in black.

Days for Flying the Flag

The Korean National Flag is flown throughout the country on the following days:

January 1 : New Year's Day
March 1 : Independence Day ( The anniversary of the March 1 , 1919 Independence Movement)
July 17: Constitution Day
August 15 : Liberation Day
October 1 : Armed Forces Day
October 3 : National Foundation Day
October 9 : Hangul Day ( The anniversary of the promulgation of the Korean alphabet in 1446)

Pledge to the Flag

When the Korean National Flag is being raised or lowered, or when it is saluted during ceremonies, all present should make the following pledge to the Flag: " Before this proud T'aeguk Flag, I firmly pledge my loyalty and will devote my body and soul to The eternal glory of my country and people."

In general , the pledge is made by the master of ceremonies or played from a tape. If the playing of the national anthem is omitted on this occasions, the pledge to the National Flag may be omitted, too.

(The Korean National Flag, Ministry of Government Administration, Republic of Korea, 1995)

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