The National Flag - Taegeukgi

The National Flag - Taegeukgi

Origin

Following the trend for modern states to adopt national flags, the decision to create a national flag for Korea emerged with the ratification of the Korea-United States Treaty of 1882. No accurate records remain of the Korean flag chosen for use at the signing ceremony; however, some argue that the flag was si milar to the ensign flag featured in the Flags of Maritime Nations issued by the U.S. Navy Department’s Bureau of Navigation and found in 2004. In his capacity as Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary under King Gojong, Park Yeong-hyo kept a record of his diplomatic mission to Japan in 1882.

In his capacity as Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary under King Gojong, Park Yeong-hyo kept a record of his diplomatic mission to Japan in 1882. According to his journal, known as Sahwagiryak, in September of that year while aboard the ship to Japan, Park created a four-trigram flag with a taegeuk circle (instead of the flag with eight black bars that had been used prior to 1800). The flag was used from September 25, 1882, according to Park’s report to the government on October 3 of that year. By royal order on March 6, 1883, King Gojong promulgated that Park’s flag with a taegeuk circle in the center and four trigrams around it (the flag named Taegeukgi) be the national flag. However, due to a lack of specific guidelines, the flag design took different forms. On June 29, 1942, the Provisional Government issued a national flag style guide to ensure that subsequent flags would be created in a consistent manner. Despite these efforts, however, ordinary people were unaware of these guidelines.After the establishment of the Republic of Korea on August 15, 1948, the government felt an increasing need to standardize flag construction. Thus in January 1949, it formed the National Flag Correction Committee, which announced the National Flag Construction Guidelines on October 15 of that year. A number of regulations were later implemented, providing for the systematic management of the flag: the Act on the Flag of the Republic of Korea, enacted in January 2007; the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Flag of the Republic of Korea, in July 2007; and the Regulations on the Hoisting, Management, and Promotion of the National Flag in September 2009 (by instructions from the Prime Minister).

Symbolism of the flag

The Taegeukgi 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 background represents brightness, purity, and peace, qualities that are highly valued by the people. The taegeuk, which has long been a commonly used motif, denotes the harmony between the negative cosmic forces (yin : blue portion) and the positive cosmic forces (yang : red portion), depicting the truth of nature that all things are created and evolve through the interaction of yin and yang. The four black trigrams are specific representations of the movement and harmony of these forces. In detail, the geon symbolizes the sky, the gon the earth, the gam water, and the ri fire. Together, they create harmony around the taegeuk mark. In short, the Taegeukgi flag embodies the vision of the Korean people who, like the universe, seek continuous creation and enrichment. By upholding the spirit and significance of the Taegeukgi, the people seek to realize unity and unification and contribute to the happiness and peace of humanity.

Construction of the Flag of Korea

Construction of the Flag of Korea

  1. ① Diameter of circle x 3
  2. ② Diameter of circle x 2
  3. ③ Diameter of circle x 1/2
  4. ④ Length of flag x 1/2
  5. ⑤ Right angle (90 degrees)
  6. ⑥ Diameter of Circle x 1/24
  7. ⑦ Diameter of circle x 1/4
  8. ⑧ Diameter of circle x 1/3
  9. ⑨ Diameter of circle x 1/12

Pledge of allegiance to the flag (revised on July 27, 2007)

I, standing before the noble Taegeukgi, solemnly pledge allegiance to the Republic of Korea, to its glory, liberty and justice.

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About OPC·PMS

Minister of the OPC

Minister of the OPC

Park Seung-KeunBANG Moon-Kyu

Chief of Staff, PMS Biographytable for Chief of Staff, PMS Biography
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Education 1981

Graduated from Susung High School, Suwon 

1985 B.A. in English Language and Literature, Seoul National University
1995 M.D. in Public Administration, Harvard University, U.S.A.
2009 Ph.D. in Public Administration, Sungkyunkwan University
방문규 국무조정실장의 주요경력방문규 국무조정실장의 학력, 주요경력을 보여주는 표
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Career 1984 Passed the 28th National Qualifying Examination for Senior Government Officials
1985-2000 Secretary of the National Tax Service, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Finance and Economy
2000-2003 Senior Public Development Specialist, World Bank (IBRD)
2003-2006 Director of Fiscal Policy Division, Director of Industrial Finance Division, Ministry of Planning and Budget
2006-2008 Senior Assistant, Office of the Secretary to the President for Policy, Office of the Secretary to the President for Economic Policy
2009-2010 Director General of Marketing Policy Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
2010-2011 Director General for Performance and Management, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Spokesperson
2011-2013 Director General for Budget Coordination, Director General for Social Affairs Budget, Ministry of Economy and Finance 
2013-2014 Head of Budget Office, Ministry of Economy and Finance
2014-2015 2nd Vice Minister of Economy and Finance
2015-2017 Vice Minister of Health and Welfare
2019-2022 Chairman & President, Export-Import Bank of Korea
June 8, 2022. Present Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination