Flag of South Korea
Encyclopedia
The flag
of South Korea
, or Taegeukgi (also spelled Taegukgi in convention) has three parts: a white background; a red and blue taegeuk in the centre; and four black trigrams, one in each corner of the flag. These trigrams are carried over from the eight trigrams(Ba gua), which are of Chinese origins.
The general design of the flag also derives from traditional use of the tricolour symbol (red, blue and yellow) by Koreans starting from the early era of Korean history. The white background symbolises "cleanliness of the people." The Taegeuk represents the origin of all things in the universe; holding the two principles of eum and yang
; the former being the negative aspect rendered in blue, and the latter as the positive aspect rendered in red, in perfect balance. Together, they represent a continuous movement within infinity, the two merging as one.
The four trigrams are
Traditionally, the four trigrams are related to the Five Elements of fire, water, earth, wood
, and metal
.
official Romanisation is Taegeukgi, the word Taegukgi has been used in English-speaking countries historically.
The flag was designed by King Gojong or Pak Young-hyo in 1882, and Taegeukgi was adopted as the national flag of Joseon Dynasty
on March 6, 1883.
During the colonial era
, the flag was banned. The Taegeukgi was used as a symbol of resistance and independence during that time and ownership of it was punishable by execution.
After independence, both North and South Korea initially adopted versions of the Taegeukgi, but North Korea later changed its national flag to a more Soviet-inspired design after three years (see article Flag of North Korea
). The Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) has officially adopted the Taegeukgi as the national flag since July 12, 1948. After the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea, "The Rules for the flag of the Republic of Korea" was first enacted.
ordinance on the standard specification of the flag of the Republic of Korea was promulgated, and that specification was acceded by the National Flag Law in 2007.
The colours are defined in legislation by the Munsell and CIE colour systems:
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, or Taegeukgi (also spelled Taegukgi in convention) has three parts: a white background; a red and blue taegeuk in the centre; and four black trigrams, one in each corner of the flag. These trigrams are carried over from the eight trigrams(Ba gua), which are of Chinese origins.
The general design of the flag also derives from traditional use of the tricolour symbol (red, blue and yellow) by Koreans starting from the early era of Korean history. The white background symbolises "cleanliness of the people." The Taegeuk represents the origin of all things in the universe; holding the two principles of eum and yang
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
; the former being the negative aspect rendered in blue, and the latter as the positive aspect rendered in red, in perfect balance. Together, they represent a continuous movement within infinity, the two merging as one.
The four trigrams are
| Name in Korean Korean language Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing... |
Nature | Seasons | Cardinal directions | Four virtues | Family | Four elements | Meanings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| geon (건 / 乾) | sky (천 / 天) | spring (춘 / 春) | east (동 / 東) | humanity (인 / 仁) | father (부 / 父) | metal (금 / 金) | justice (정의 / 正義) | |
| ri (리 / 離) | sun (일 / 日) | autumn (추 / 秋) | south (남 / 南) | courtesy (예 / 禮) | son (중남 / 子) | fire (화 / 火) | wisdom (지혜 / 智慧) | |
| gam (감 / 坎) | moon (월 / 月) | winter (동 / 冬) | north (북 / 北) | intelligence (지 / 智) | daughter (중녀 / 女) | water (수 / 水) | vitality (생명력 / 生命力) | |
| gon (곤 / 坤) | earth (지 / 地) | summer (하 / 夏) | west (서 / 西) | righteousness (의 / 義) | mother (모 / 母) | earth (토 / 土) | fertility (풍요 / 豊饒) |
Traditionally, the four trigrams are related to the Five Elements of fire, water, earth, wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, and metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
.
Name
Although the revisedRevised Romanization of Korean
The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea proclaimed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replacing the older McCune–Reischauer system...
official Romanisation is Taegeukgi, the word Taegukgi has been used in English-speaking countries historically.
History
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
on March 6, 1883.
During the colonial era
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
, the flag was banned. The Taegeukgi was used as a symbol of resistance and independence during that time and ownership of it was punishable by execution.
After independence, both North and South Korea initially adopted versions of the Taegeukgi, but North Korea later changed its national flag to a more Soviet-inspired design after three years (see article Flag of North Korea
Flag of North Korea
The flag of North Korea was adopted on September 8, 1948, as the national flag and ensign. The red star of Communism can be seen on this flag on a white disc. The flag was adopted in 1948, when Northern portion of Korea became a Communist state. The traditional Korean flag was red, white, and blue...
). The Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) has officially adopted the Taegeukgi as the national flag since July 12, 1948. After the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea, "The Rules for the flag of the Republic of Korea" was first enacted.
Design
Colours
The official colours of Taegukgi are specified on the "Ordinance Act of the Law concerning the National Flag of the Republic of Korea (대한민국국기법시행령). There was no specification for shade of colours until 1997, when South Korean government decided to provide standard specification for the flag. On October, 1997, PresidentialPresident of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
ordinance on the standard specification of the flag of the Republic of Korea was promulgated, and that specification was acceded by the National Flag Law in 2007.
The colours are defined in legislation by the Munsell and CIE colour systems:
| Scheme | Munsell Munsell color system In colorimetry, the Munsell color system is a color space that specifies colors based on three color dimensions: hue, value , and chroma . It was created by Professor Albert H... |
CIE (x, y, Y) CIE 1931 color space In the study of color perception, one of the first mathematically defined color spaces is the CIE 1931 XYZ color space, created by the International Commission on Illumination in 1931.... |
Pantone Pantone Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System , a proprietary color space... |
Hex triplet Web colors Web colors are colors used in designing web pages, and the methods for describing and specifying those colors. Hexadecimal color codes begin with a hash .... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | N 9.5 | N/A | N/A | #FFFFFF |
| Red | 6.0R 4.5/14 | 0.5640, 0.3194, 15.3 | 186 Coated | #C60C30 |
| Blue | 5.0PB 3.0/12 | 0.1556, 0.1354, 6.5 | 294 Coated | #003478 |
| Black | N 0.5 | N/A | N/A | #000000 |
See also
- South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
- List of South Korean flags
- Korean Unification Flag
- Flag of North KoreaFlag of North KoreaThe flag of North Korea was adopted on September 8, 1948, as the national flag and ensign. The red star of Communism can be seen on this flag on a white disc. The flag was adopted in 1948, when Northern portion of Korea became a Communist state. The traditional Korean flag was red, white, and blue...
- Taegeuk
External links
- http://english.president.go.kr/warp/en/korea/symbols/flag/ Accessed 6 February 2006. Source of colour specifications.
- http://www.opm.go.kr/warp/en/korea/symbols/ Accessed 6 February 2006
- http://www.korea.net/korea/kor_loca.asp?code=L05 Accessed 27 July 2008
- http://www.songpr.com/
- Chosun Ilbo article on history of flag