Flag of South Korea

Although the revised official Romanization is Taegeukgi, the word Taegukgi has been used in English-speaking countries historically.

History

The red and blue symbol has an origin that is entirely secular. It is derived by graphing the length of the sun's shadow. (If the series of lines are drawn radiating from the middle, as if regularly rotating a parchment impaled by a small shadow-casting stick each day, the design becomes apparent.)

Although affiliated with Taoism and called a "Yin-Yang" symbol today, its placement on the flag honors a venerable tradition of accurate record-keeping for the public benefit instated by King Sejong in the 13th century. Unlike the modern version, the depiction on the oldest flag is clearly true to the actual graph. ----- -- -- ----- ----- ----- -- --

----- -- -- -- -- -- -- ----- -- --

The original flag, dating to 1883, shows them placed as below. This version respects the four "European" directions with which their elements are traditionally affiliated. "Water" is at upper left; "Heaven" is at upper right; "Earth" is at lower left; "Fire" is at lower right. (In "Asian" tradition, however, Heaven is usually associated with north-west, and Earth is usually associated with south-west. See also Bagua.)

-- -- ----- N ----- ----- E -- -- -----

-- -- ----- W -- -- -- -- S -- -- -----

The taegeukgi was used as a symbol of resistance and independence during the Japanese occupation 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).

pecifications

Design

Colors

The official colours of Taegukgi are specified on the "Ordinance Act of the Law concerning the National Flag of the Republic of Korea( _ko. 대한민국국기법시행령) [http://www.lawnb.com/lawinfo/law/info_law_searchview.asp?ljo=l&lawid=00687210] ". [ [http://www.lawnb.com/lawinfo/law/info_law_searchview.asp?ljo=l&lawid=00687210 대한민국국기법시행령(Ordinance Act of the Law concerning the National Flag of the Republic of Korea)] , Article 6-9.] [ [http://www.lawnb.com/lawinfo/law/new_view.asp?idx=223784 대한민국국기법시행령 별표2(Ordinance Act of the Law concerning the National Flag of the Republic of Korea, Table 2)] ] 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, Presidential ordinance on the standard specification of the flag of the Republic of Korea was promulgated [ [http://kin.naver.com/open100/db_detail.php?d1id=11&dir_id=110112&eid=g7FRjCoPkfGpLv1reSjxrIlerymyDwS7&qb=xcKx2LHiILv2tbU= Standard specification of Tagukgi] ] , and that specification was acceeded by the "National Flag Law" in 2007.

The given colors are:

Errors

The South Korean flag is sometimes drawn differently from the official version. Sometimes the "taegeuki" is reversed to make it a taoist Yin-Yang, which traditionally goes clockwise. The "gwae" may be transposed, possibly in error but possibly because they wish to restore the traditional Asian meanings. South Koreans themselves have different ways of interpreting the traditional symbols.

References

ee also

*List of South Korean flags
*Korean Unification Flag
*Taiji

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/
* [http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200401/200401260030.html Chosun Ilbo article on history of flag]