Flag of South Korea

"Taegukgi" redirects here. For the film, see Taegukgi (film).

Republic of Korea

Taegeukgi, Taegukgi
Use| National flag and ensign
Proportion| 2:3
Adopted| 27 January 1883; 142 years ago (1883-01-27) (original version, used by the Joseon dynasty)
29 June 1942; 83 years ago (1942-06-29) (during Japanese occupation, by the exiled Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea)
12 July 1948; 77 years ago (1948-07-12) (for South Korea, by the Constituent National Assembly)
15 October 1949; 75 years ago (1949-10-15) (current geometry)
30 May 2011; 14 years ago (2011-05-30) (current colors)
Design| A white field with a centered red and blue taegeuk surrounded by four trigrams
Designed by| Lee Eung-jun (Designed)
Pak Yŏnghyo (Selected)
Gojong (Approved)
Naval jack
Use| Naval jack
Proportion| 2:3
Design| A blue field with a white canton that has a red and blue taegeuk superimposed on two crossed anchors.
Governmental ensign
Use| Government ensign
Proportion| 2:3
Design| A white field with the logo of the government in the middle
Flag of South Korea

Hangul|

태극기

Hanja|

太極旗

RR| Taegeukgi
MR| T'aegŭkki

The national flag of South Korea, also known as the Taegeukgi (Korean: 태극기; Hanja: 太極旗), consists of three components: a white rectangular background, a red and blue taegeuk in its center, accompanied by four black trigrams, one in each corner. The predecessors to the current Taegeukgi were used as the national flag of Korea by the Joseon dynasty, the Korean Empire, as well as the Korean government-in-exile during Japanese rule. South Korea adopted Taegeukgi for its national flag in 1948.

## History

[edit]

In 1876, the absence of a national flag became an issue for Korea, at the time reigned over by the Joseon dynasty. Before 1876, Korea did not have a national flag, but the king had his own royal standard. The lack of a national flag became a quandary during negotiations for the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876, at which the delegate of Japan displayed the Japanese national flag, whereas the Joseon dynasty had no corresponding national symbol to exhibit. At that time, some proposed to create a national flag, but the Joseon government looked upon the matter as unimportant and unnecessary. By 1880, the proliferation of foreign negotiations led to the need for a national flag.[1] The most popular proposal was described in the "Korea Strategy" papers, written by the Chinese delegate Huang Zunxian. It proffered to incorporate the flag of the Qing dynasty of China into that of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. In response to the Chinese proposal, the Joseon government dispatched delegate Lee Young-Sook to consider the scheme with Chinese statesman and diplomat Li Hongzhang. Li agreed with some elements of Huang's suggestion while accepting that Korea would make some alterations. The Qing government assented to Li's conclusions, but the degree of enthusiasm with which the Joseon government explored this proposal is unknown.[2]

The issue remained unpursued for a period but reemerged with the negotiation of the United States–Korea Treaty of 1882, also known as the Shufeldt Treaty. The U.S. emissary Robert Wilson Shufeldt suggested that Korea adopt a national flag to represent its sovereignty. The king of Joseon, Kojong, ordered government officials Sin Heon [ko] and Kim Hong-jip to begin working on a new flag. Kim Hong-jip in turn asked delegate Lee Eung-jun [ko] to create the first design, which Lee Eung-jun presented to the Chinese official Ma Jianzhong. Ma Jianzhong argued against Huang Zunxian's proposal that Korea adopt the flag of the Qing dynasty, and proposed a modified dragon flag.[2] Kojong rejected this idea.[3] Ma suggested Lee Eung-jun's Taegeuk and Eight Trigrams flag.[4] It is sometimes claimed that Kim and Ma proposed changes to it on 27 May 1882 (Lunar date April 11): Kim proposed changing the red to blue and white; Ma proposed a white field, a red and black taegeuk, trigrams in black, and a red border. However, since the Taguk flag was already in use during the signing of the Joseon–United States Treaty of 1882 on 22 May 1882, The Taeguk flag design was already established and in use prior to Ma's proposal.[2] In September 1882, Pak Yŏnghyo presented a scale model for taegukgi to the Joseon government, it was created in cooperate with Kim Man-sik, Soh Kwang-pom and others with advice from British consul William George Aston and British captain James, later Gojong approved the design. Pak Yŏnghyo became the first person to use the taegukgi in 1882.[5][6][7] The 2 October 1882 issue of the Japanese newspaper Jiji shimpō [ja] credited Gojong as the designer of the taegukgi (i.e., a flag with a red and blue taegeuk and four trigrams).[8][unreliable source?][unbalanced opinion?] On 27 January 1883, the Joseon government officially promulgated the taegukgi to be used as the official national flag.[2]

In 1919, a flag similar to the current South Korean flag was used by the Korean government-in-exile based in China. The term taegukgi began to be used in 1942. The taeguk and taegukgi grew as powerful symbols of independence in the 1,500 demonstrations during colonial rule.

Inauguration of the First Republic of Korea on 15 August 1948

Following the restoration of Korean independence in 1945, the taegukgi design was again widely used. It remained in use as the southern portion of Korea became a republic under the influence of the United States and even in the People's Republic of Korea for a time. The United States Army Military Government in Korea started to use the taegukgi alongside the flag of the United States on 14 January 1946. On 12 July 1948, the Constituent National Assembly of the Republic of Korea adopted the taegukgi as the national flag.[9] Following the establishment of the South Korean state in August 1948, the first Republic of Korea created the National Flag Correction Committee in January 1949 to establish the modern standardization for the taegukgi. On 15 October 1949, the Ministry of Education and Culture announced the National Flag Production Law.[2][10][11]

The northern portion of Korea also used the taegukgi even during the partition of Korea in 1945. It was used until the new design was adopted in September 1948.[12][13][14]

On 21 February 1984, exact dimensional specifications and etiquettes for the flag were codified.[15][16][17][18][19] On 15 October 1997, a precise color scheme for the flag was fixed via presidential decree for the first time.[10][20]

## Symbolism

[edit]

The flag's field is white, a traditional color in Korean culture that was common in the daily attire of 19th-century Koreans and still appears in contemporary versions of traditional Korean garments such as the hanbok. The color represents peace and purity.[10]

The circle in the flag's center symbolizes harmony in the world. Derived from the Chinese I Ching and Taiji (philosophy), known in the west as the Yin and Yang, the blue half represents negative energy (Yin), and the red half represents the positive energy (Yang).

Together, the trigrams[a] represent movement and harmony as fundamental principles. Each trigram represents one of the four classical elements,[21] as described below:

Trigram  | Korean name  | Celestial body  | Season  | Cardinal direction  | Virtue  | Family  | Natural element  | Meaning  | Social fabric

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| geon
(건; 乾)  | heaven
(천; 天)  | summer
(하; 夏)  | south
(남; 南)  | wisdom
(인; 仁)  | father
(부; 父)  | air
(천; 天)  | justice
(정의; 正義)  | The strong stay together.
| gon
(곤; 坤)  | earth
(지; 地)  | winter
(동; 冬)  | north
(북; 北)  | righteousness
(의; 義)  | mother
(모; 母)  | earth
(토; 土)  | vitality
(생명력; 生命力)  | The weak stay together.
| ri
(리; 離)  | sun
(일; 日)  | spring
(춘; 春)  | east
(동; 東)  | courtesy
(례; 禮)  | daughter
(녀; 女)  | fire
(화; 火)  | fruition
(결실; 結實)  | The strong protect the weak.
| gam
(감; 坎)  | moon
(월; 月)  | autumn
(추; 秋)  | west
(서; 西)  | intelligence
(지; 智)  | son
(자; 子)  | water
(수; 水)  | wisdom
(지혜; 智慧)  | The weak protect the strong.

### Cultural role in contemporary South Korean society

[edit]

The name of the South Korean flag is used in the title of a 2004 film about the Korean War, Taegukgi.[22]

A Taegukgi with the word 不遠復[b] appeared in a 2011 film My Way.[23][24]

A Taegukgi with the word 大韓獨立[c] appeared in a stage musical Hero.[25]

Observers such as The Times Literary Supplement's Colin Marshall and Korea scholar Brian Reynolds Myers have noted that the South Korean flag in the context of the country's society is often used as an ethnic flag, representing a grander nationalistic idea of a racialized (Korean) people rather than merely symbolizing the (South Korean) state itself as national flags do in other countries.[26][27] Myers argues that: "When the average [South Korean] man sees the [South Korean] flag, he feels fraternity with [ethnic] Koreans around the world."[28] Myers also stated in a 2011 thesis that: "Judging from the yin-yang flag's universal popularity in South Korea, even among those who deny the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea, it evidently evokes the [Korean] race first and the [South Korean] state second."[29]

## Specifications

[edit]

Proper vertical display of the flag

### Dimensions

[edit]

Flag construction sheet

The width and height are in the ratio of 3:2. There are five sections on the flag, the taegeuk and the four groups of bars (trigrams). The diameter of the taegeuk is half of the height of the flag. The top of the taegeuk is red and the bottom of the taegeuk is blue. The width of each trigram is the radius of the taegeuk. The distance between taegeuk and four trigrams is half of the radius of the taegeuk. The design of the taegeuk, as well as the trigrams residing in each of the four corners, are geometrically defined.[30]

### Colors

[edit]

Darker version of the flag using RGB approximations of semiofficial Pantone approximations,[31] and also the official 1997–2011 color scheme.

The colors of the taegukgi are specified in the Ordinance Act of the Law concerning the National Flag of the Republic of Korea (Korean: 대한민국 국기법 시행령).[32] The color scheme was unspecified until 1997, when the South Korean government decided to standardize specifications for the flag. On 25 October 1997, a Presidential ordinance on the standard specification of the South Korean flag was promulgated,[33][unreliable source?][34] and that specification was acceded by the National Flag Law in July 2007.

Colors are defined in legislation by the Munsell and CIE color systems as follows:

Scheme  | Munsell[35] | CIE (x, y, Y)[35] | Pantone[31] | Hex triplet[d]

|
|
|
|

White  | N 9.5  | —  | —  | #FFFFFF
Red  | 6.0R 4.5/14  | 0.5640, 0.3194, 15.3  | 186 C  | #CD2E3A
Blue  | 5.0PB 3.0/12  | 0.1556, 0.1354, 6.5  | 294 C  | #0047A0
Black  | N 0.5  | —  | —  | #000000

### Flag days

[edit]

The days required to display taegukgi are defined by the National Flag Law of the Republic of Korea (대한민국국기법) as follows:[36]

* 1 March — March First Day
* 6 June — Memorial Day (half-mast needed)
* 17 July — Constitution Day
* 15 August — Liberation Day
* 1 October — Armed Forces Day
* 3 October — National Foundation Day
* 9 October — Hangul Day
* Any day for the state funeral (half-mast needed)

Apart from these days, the Government of South Korea and local authorities in South Korea also call for the display of taegukgi in other days under special conditions.

### Laws on desecrations

[edit]

The South Korean flag is considered by a large part of the country's citizens to represent the "Korean ethnos" rather than solely the South Korean state; consequently flag desecration by the country's citizens is rare when compared to other countries[which?], where citizens may desecrate their own national flags as political statements. Thus those South Korean citizens opposed to the state's actions or even its existence will still treat their national flag with reverence and respect: "There is therefore none of the parodying or deliberate desecration of the state flag that one encounters in the countercultures of other countries."[29]

Regardless of frequency, the South Korean Criminal Act punishes desecration of the South Korean national flag in various ways:[37]

* Article 105 imposes up to 5 years in prison, disfranchisement of up to 10 years, or a fine up to 7 million South Korean won for damaging, removing, or staining a South Korean flag or emblem with intent to insult the South Korean state. Article 5 makes this crime punishable, even if done by aliens outside South Korea.[37]
* Article 106 imposes up to 1 year in prison, disfranchisement of up to 5 years, or a fine up to 2 million South Korean won for defaming a South Korean flag or emblem with intent to insult the South Korean state. Article 5 makes this crime punishable, even if done by aliens outside South Korea.[37]

South Korea also criminalizes not just desecration of the South Korean flag, but the flags of other countries as well:

* Article 109 imposes up to 2 years in prison or a fine up to 3 million South Korean won for damaging, removing, or staining a foreign flag or emblem with intent to insult a foreign country. Article 110 forbids prosecution without foreign governmental complaint.[37]

## Gallery

[edit]

* Joseon naval ensign, based on a Taoist flag called jwadogi (坐纛旗) with elements of the Nakseo

* Joseon royal standard (1882–1907)[38]

* Taegukgi published in U.S. Navy book Flags of Maritime Nations in July 1882

* Taegukgi (November 1882)

* Taegukgi published in a Qing diplomatic book Tōngshāng Zhāngchéng Chéng'àn Huìbiān (通商章程成案彙編), edited by Li Hongzhang (March 1883).[e]

* Taegukgi given to O. N. Denny (1888)

* Taegukgi (1893)

* Flag of the Korean Empire (1897–1910)

* Imperial standard of the Korean Empire (1897–1907)

* Imperial standard of the Korean Empire (1908–1910)

* A flag made by An Jung-geun, a Korean independence activist who died in 1910. "大韓獨立" is written.

* Flag of Korean protestors used during the March First Movement (1919)[f]

* Flag of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea from 1919 to 1948 used in exile in China

* Taegukgi on a U.S. postage stamp (1944)

* Taegukgi with signatures by Korean Liberation Army (1945)

* A marching flag kept by the commander of the Independence Army

* A flag of the People's Republic of Korea from August 1945 until December 1945, when the USAMGIK outlawed the PRK

* The flag of the United States used during the U.S. military occupation of the southern part of Korea from 1945 to 1948

* Taegukgi used by the United States Army Military Government in Korea from 1945 to 1948

* Post-independence South Korean flag until October 1949

* Taegukgi with anti-North Korean mottos and signatures by student soldiers from Gyeongju (1950)

* Flag of the Republic of Korea Army

* Flag of the Republic of Korea Air Force

* Flag of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps

* Korean Unification Flag

## See also

[edit]

* Heraldry portal
* South Korea portal

* Flag of North Korea
* List of Korean flags
* List of South Korean flags
* Korean Unification Flag
* Pledge of allegiance to the flag of South Korea

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Korean: 괘; Hanja: 卦; RR: gwae
2. ^ Korean: 불원복; RR: Bulwonbok; lit. [We will] Restore Soon
3. ^ Korean: 대한독립; RR: Daehan dongnip; lit. The independence of Greater Korea
4. ^ Converted from CIE.
5. ^ Annotation reads "The flag of Goryeo belonging to the Great Qing". Joseon was sometimes called 'Goryeo' in China.
6. ^ Version shown here was made by Pyongyang Soongsil School.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 대한민국[Republic of Korea,大韓民國] (in Korean). Doosan Corporation. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
2. ^ a b c d e 태극기 [Taegukgi] (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
3. ^ 대한민국의 국기. terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 20 December 2020.
4. ^ Wang, Yuanchong (15 December 2018). Remaking the Chinese Empire: Manchu-Korean Relations, 1616–1911. Cornell University Press. p. 154\. ISBN 978-1-5017-3051-1. "For Chosŏn's national flag, Ma suggested Yi Ŭngjun's design of the Taiji and eight trigrams as the basic model."
5. ^ 태극-기 太極旗 [Taeguk-gi] (in Korean). NAVER Corp. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
6. ^ "修信使記錄 使和記略 高宗19年壬午八月". National Institute of Korean History. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
7. ^ Kim, Tu-bong (20 August 1948). 新國旗의 製定과 太極旗의 廢止에 對하여 [On the establishment of the new national flag and the abolition of Taegukgi] (PDF). Pyongyang: Rodong News Agency. p. 56. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
8. ^ "태극기는 천손민족의 표시..중국보다 앞서". OhmyNews (in Korean). 20 April 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
9. ^ 이상희 (2004). "태극기" [Taegeukgi]. 꽃으로 보는 한국문화 [Korean Culture as Flowers]. 넥서스BOOKS. pp. 75–97.
10. ^ a b c "National Administration : National Symbols of the Republic of Korea : The National Flag – Taegeukgi". Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
11. ^ 관보 [Official Gazette]. Archives of Korean History. 15 October 1949. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
12. ^ Tertitskiy, Fyodor (2024). Soviet-North Korean Relations During the Cold War: Unruly Offspring (1st ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 39–41\. doi:10.4324/9781003413332. ISBN 978-1-032-53730-6. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
13. ^ Choe, Yong Thae (2018). A Grand Birth. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. p. 64\. ISBN 978-9946-0-1724-2. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
14. ^ Choi, Chongko (1999). 남북한(南北韓)의 국가상징(國家象徵)과 법(法) [National Symbols of South and North Korea and Their Laws] (PDF). Korea Society of Unification and North Korean Law Studies. 40 (3): 100. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
15. ^ "History of the South Korean flag". fotw.fivestarflags.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
16. ^ "flag of Korea, South". Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 December 2023.
17. ^ "History of the South Korean flag". Christusrex.org. Archived from the original on 26 March 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
18. ^ "Flag History". Destination South Korea. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
19. ^ 관보 법령편 [Official Gazette, Law Chapter]. National Archives of Korea. 21 February 1984. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
20. ^ "NATIONAL SYMBOLS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA". Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
21. ^ "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
22. ^ Elley, Derek (18 June 2004). "Taegukgi". Variety. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
23. ^ "My Way (2011) - Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
24. ^ "【张东健/小田切让/范冰冰】登陆之日2011". Bilibili. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
25. ^ "Musical 'Hero'". Korea.net. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
26. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: O'Carroll, Chad (2014). "BR Myers – Current Issues". YouTube. Retrieved 11 September 2017. "[T]he South Korean flag continues to function, at least in South Korea, not as a symbol of the state but as a symbol of the race."
27. ^ Marshall, Colin (2017). "How Korea got cool: The continued rise of a country named Hanguk". The Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved 24 June 2019. "When people wave the South Korean flag, in other words, they wave the flag not of a country but of an [ethnic] people."
28. ^ "North Korea's Unification Drive— B.R. Myers". Sthele Press. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
29. ^ a b Myers, Brian Reynolds (2011). "North Korea's state-loyalty advantage". Free Online Library. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
30. ^ 국가상징 > 태극기 > 태극기 더보기 > 국기의 제작. Theme.archives.go.kr. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
31. ^ a b "National Flag". infokorea.ru. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Moscow. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2017.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
32. ^ 대한민국국기법 시행령 [The law concerning practice for the flag of the Republic of Korea] (in Korean). Government of South Korea. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
33. ^ Stray_Cat421 (18 June 2003). "Standard specification of Taegukgi". Naver Knowledge (in Korean). South Korea. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2015.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
34. ^ 관보 [Official Gazette] (in Korean). National Archives of Korea. 25 October 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
35. ^ a b 국기의 제작 [Geometry of the National Flag] (in Korean). Ministry of the Interior and Safety. 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
36. ^ 대한민국국기법 [National Flag Law of the Republic of Korea] (in Korean). Government of South Korea. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
37. ^ a b c d "Criminal Act". South Korean Laws. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
38. ^ Kariyasu, Nozomi. "The History of Taegeuk Flags" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2019.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National flag of South Korea.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Flag of South Korea.

Korean Wikisource has original text related to this article:

대한민국 대한민국국기법

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