January 27, 1883; 141 years ago (1883-01-27)(original version, used by the Joseon dynasty) June 29, 1942; 81 years ago (1942-06-29)(during Japanese occupation, by the exiled
Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea) October 15, 1949; 74 years ago (1949-10-15)(for South Korea, by the
first Republic of Korea, current geometry)[1] May 30, 2011; 12 years ago (2011-05-30)(current colors)
Design
A white field with a centered red and blue taegeuk surrounded by four
trigrams
The national flag of the Republic of Korea, also known as the Taegeukgi (also romanized as Taegukgi,
Korean: 태극기;
lit. taegeuk flag), has three parts: a white rectangular background, a red and blue taegeuk in its center, accompanied by four black
trigrams, one in each corner. Flags similar 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 the Taegeukgi for its national flag when it gained independence from Japan on 15 August 1945.
Symbolism
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.[2]
Together, the
trigrams represent movement and harmony as fundamental principles. Each trigram (
Korean: 괘;
Hanja: 卦;
RR: gwae) represents one of the four
classical elements,[3] as described below:
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.[4] 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.[1]
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 and
Kim Hong-jip to begin working on a new flag. Kim Hong-jip in turn asked delegate Lee Eung-jun 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.[1] Kojong rejected this idea.[5] Ma suggested Lee Eung-jun's Taegeuk and
Eight Trigrams flag.[6] Kim and Ma proposed changes to it: 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.[1] On 14 May 1882, before the
Joseon–United States Treaty of 1882, Park Yeong-hyo presented a
scale model of the Lee Eung-jun's taegukgi to the Joseon government, and Gojong approved the design. Park Yeong-hyo became the first person to use the taegukgi in 1882.[7] The 2 October 1882 issue of the Japanese newspaper Jiji shimpō credited Gojong as the designer of the taegukgi (i.e., a flag with a red and blue taegeuk and four trigrams).[8] On 27 January 1883, the Joseon government officially promulgated the taegukgi to be used as the official national flag.[1]
In 1919, a flag similar to the current South Korean flag was used by the provisional
Korean government-in-exile based in
China. The taeguk and taegukgi grew as a powerful symbols of independence in the 1,500 demonstrations during colonial rule.
In February 1984, exact dimensional specifications for the flag were codified.[9][10][11][12] In October 1997, a precise color scheme for the flag was fixed via presidential decree for the first time.[2][13]
Cultural role in contemporary South Korean society
The name of the South Korean flag is used in the title of a 2004 film about the
Korean War, Taegukgi.[14]
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.[15][16] Myers argues that: "When the average [South Korean] man sees the [South Korean] flag, he feels fraternity with [ethnic] Koreans around the world."[17] 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."[18]
Desecration
The South Korean flag is considered by a large part of the country's citizens to represent the "Korean race" rather than solely the South Korean state; consequently
flag desecration by the country's citizens is rare when compared to other countries, 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."[18]
Regardless of frequency, the South Korean Criminal Act punishes desecration of the South Korean national flag in various ways:[19]
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.[19]
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.[19]
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.[19]
Specifications
Dimensions
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 design of the taegeuk, as well as the trigrams residing in each of the four corners, are geometrically defined.[20]
Colors
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)[22] The color scheme was unspecified until 1997, when the
South Korean government decided to standardize specifications for the flag. In October 1997, a
Presidential ordinance on the standard specification of the South Korean flag was promulgated,[23] 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:
taegukgi published in U.S. Navy book Flags of Maritime Nations in July 1882
taegukgi (November 1882)
taegukgi (March 1883). The Qing diplomatic book Tōngshāng Zhāngchéng Chéng'àn Huìbiān (通商章程成案彙編), edited by
Li Hongzhang. "The flag of
Goryeo belonging to the
Great Qing" is written in
Chinese characters. Joseon was often called 'Goryeo' in China.
^Elley, Derek (18 June 2004).
"Taegukgi". Variety. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
^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.
^
ab"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)
^대한민국국기법 시행령 [The law concerning practice for the flag of the Republic of Korea] (in Korean). Government of the Republic of Korea. Retrieved 6 August 2017.