South Korea Flag

How to identify it

A white field with a red-and-blue taegeuk circle in the centre and four black groups of bars, one in each corner. Each group uses a different pattern of solid and broken bars, which helps show the correct orientation.

Design and construction

Proportions

2:3

Adoption and legal status

1948 as the flag of the Republic of Korea; standardised in 1949 and 1997

Construction

Government standards define the taegeuk diameter, the trigram bar widths and the exact colour values.

Officially documented meaning

The central taegeuk represents balance between opposing forces. The four trigrams are geon (heaven), gon (earth), gam (water) and ri (fire).

History of the design

The Taegeukgi dates from the 1880s under the Joseon dynasty, when Korea needed a flag for diplomatic use. Its proportions and shades were repeatedly standardised after 1948.

Sources