The Flag Of South Korea, Also known as the “Taegukgi” Was Declared Official by the Government of South Korea On October 15, 1949. The Current Version of the Flag Was designed In 1882 when Korea was ruled by the Joseon Dynasty. A Chinese official Called Ma Jianzhong suggested the flag design and Park Yeong-Hyo created a National Flag Of South Korea based on his description.
Origin Of The Flag
Earlier in the 1870s, Korea did not have a national flag. It wasn’t until the beginning of the Negotiations for the Japan – Korea Treaty of 1876 that the issue arose. When the delegate of the Empire of Japan presented the Japanese national flag, and the Joseon Dynasty did not have any flag to hang, it was proposed, but not with a great priority that a South Korea National Flag should be designed.
The issue reemerged in 1882 when one of the Joseon delegates called Lee Eung-Jun presented a flag similar to Japan’s to the Chinese official and scholar Ma Jianzhong. Ma disagreed with the proposed idea of using the flag of the Qing Dynasty as the National Flag Of South Korea and suggested instead a flag with a white background; a half-red, half-black circle at the center and eight black bars around the circle.
On August 22, 1882, A Korean politician called Park Yeong-Hyo presented a first scale model of the Taegeukgi to the Joseon government. Park Yeong-Hyo became the first person to use the flag in the Empire of Japan later that year. In March 1883, the Joseon government formally adopted the Taegeukgi as the official national flag. On October 15, 1949, the Current Flag Of South Korea was declared official by the country’s government.
Design And Meaning Of The Flag
The National Flag Of South Korea consists of a white background, a red and blue taegeuk circle in the center, and four black trigrams (collectively called geongongamri), one in each corner of the flag. The white color is a traditional color in Korean culture. The white background of the flag represents the purity of the Korean people and their peace-loving spirit.
The circle in the center of the flag 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 circles on the Flag Of South Korea symbolize the great cosmic forces, which oppose each other but achieve perfect harmony and balance.
The four trigrams surrounding the circle of the flag denote the process of yin and yang going through a spiral of change and growth. The three unbroken lines at the upper left represent heaven (Kun), the three broken lines at the lower right represent earth (kon), the two broken lines with an unbroken line in the middle at the upper right represent water (Kam), and the two unbroken lines with a broken line in the middle at the lower-left represent fire (Yi).
The South Korea National Flag as a whole represents the ideal of the Korean people to develop forever together with the universe.
Some Information About Flag:
In Which Year, The National Flag Is Adopted?
Ans: October 15, 1949
What Is The Name Of The Flag?
Ans: “Taegukgi”
What Are The Colours of The Flag?
Ans: Red, Blue, Black, White
What Do The White Colour of The Flag Means?
Ans: The white background of the flag represents the purity of the Korean people and their peace-loving spirit.
Who Is The Designer of The Flag?
Ans: A Chinese official Called Ma Jianzhong suggested the flag design and Park Yeong-Hyo created a National Flag Of South Korea based on his description.