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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Prime Minister

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Prime Minister

Prime Miniter Han, Duck-sooHan, Duck-soo

Prime Minister's Biographytable for Prime Minister's Biography
Birth
1949, Jeonju-si, Jeollabukdo
Prime Minister's Biographytable for Prime Minister's Biography
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Education 1967.1 Graduated from Kyunggi High School, Seoul
1971.2 Graduated from the Department of Economics, Seoul National University
1983.6 Completed M.A. in Economics, Harvard University, U.S.A.
1984.6 Completed Ph.D. in Economics, Harvard University, U.S.A.
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Career 1970.6. Passed the 8th National Qualifying Examination for Senior Government Officials
1980.9~1982.2 Director, Policy Division 3, EPB·Policy Division 2, EPB
1982.2~1989.1

Director, Americas Division, Bureau of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Director, Asia Division, Bureau of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Trade and Industry

Director, Bureau of Industrial Policy, MTI

Director, Bureau of Transport Machinery Industry, MTI

1989.1~1992.1

Director General, Small and Medium Enterprise Bureau, MTI

Director General, Industrial Policy Bureau, MTI

1992.1~1993.4

Director General, Industrial Policy Bureau, MTI

Director General, Electronics and Information Industry Bureau, MTI

1993.4~1994.5 Secretary to the President for Economic Affairs
1994.5~12 Deputy Minister for Planning and Management, Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy
1994.12~1996.12 Deputy Minister for International Trade, MOTIE
1996.12~1997.3 Commissioner, Korean Industrial Property Office
1997.3~1998.3 Vice Minister, MOTIE
1998.3~2001.2 Minister for Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade(MOFAT)
2001.2~11 Korean Ambassador to the OECD
2001.11~2002.1 Senior Secretary to the President for Policy Planning Affairs
2002.1~7 Senior Secretary to the President for Economic Affairs
2002.11~2003.7 Advisor to Kim & Chang Law Firm
2003.7~2004.2 President, Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade
2004.2~2005.3 Minister of Government Policy Coordination, Prime Minister’s Secretariat
2005.3~2006.7 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy(MOFE)
2006.8~2007.3 Chairman, Presidential Committee on Facilitating KORUS FTA
2007.4~2008.2 The 38th Prime Minister
2008.4~2013.1 Member of 2012 Yeosu Expo Senior Advisory Committee
2009.2~2012.2 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America
2012.2~2015.2 Chairman & CEO, Korea International Trade Association
2012.5~2012.12 Chairman, Korean Private Bid Committee of the Green Climate Fund
2014.1~2016.1 Member of National Education Policy Advisory Committee
2015.11~2017.11 Chairman of the Board, Climate Change Center
2016.5~12 Co-charmain of the Organizing Committee, 2016 CheongJu World Martial Arts Masterships
2016.10~2018.9 Chairman, Federation of Sustainable Electrical Power
2017.6 Member and Chairman, Committee of Recommendation of Supreme Court Justice Candidates
2017.12~2022.3 Advisor to Kim & Chang Law Firm
2018.3~2020.2 Chairman of the YoungSan Diplomat of the Year Award, Seoul Forum for International Affairs (SFIA)
2020.3~2022.5 Director, Seoul Forum for International Affairs (SFIA)
2021.3~2022.3 Non-executive Director, S-Oil Corporation
May 21, 2022. Present The 48th Prime Minister