The Taegukgi was adopted on 12 July 1948. It is one of the few national flags rooted in the philosophical traditions of East Asia rather than European heraldry.
The design
The Flag of korea/" data-it-autolink="1">South Korea is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 2:3, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses White, Red, Blue, Black, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| White | White | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Red | Red | Often signifies courage, sacrifice, revolution or the blood of those who fought for the nation. |
| Blue | Blue | Frequently symbolises sky, sea, freedom, vigilance or perseverance. |
| Black | Black | May reference the people, ancestral heritage, or the determination to overcome. |
Symbolism & heraldry
The white field represents purity; the red-and-blue Taegeuk circle represents the cosmic balance of yin and yang; the four black trigrams symbolise heaven, water, earth, and fire.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of South Korea — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1948. Earlier banners flown by South Korea reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of South Korea should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | South Korea | — |
| Continent | Asia | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | KR | 2-letter code |
| ISO alpha-3 | KOR | 3-letter code |
| Adopted | 1948 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 2:3 | height : length |
| Colours | White, Red, Blue, Black | — |
| Designer | — | |
| Emoji | 🇰🇷 | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
The trigrams come from the I Ching (Book of Changes), one of the world's oldest divinatory texts.
