Flag of South Korea

Country

Flag of South Korea uses white field with a taegeuk and four trigrams. Ratio 2:3 and current adoption October 15, 1997.

Hoist Ratio 2:3 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of South Korea
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Republic of Korea
Identifier	KR / KOR
Region	Eastern Asia

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	October 15, 1997
First Documented Use	1883
Proportion	2:3
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	White, Red, Blue, Black
Construction	White field with a taegeuk and four trigrams
Common Name	Taegukgi

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Red	#CD2E3A	205, 46, 58	0, 78, 72, 20
Blue	#0047A0	0, 71, 160	100, 56, 0, 37
Black	#000000	0, 0, 0	0, 0, 0, 100

Design and Symbolism

White	peace and purity.
Red	the positive cosmic force.
Blue	the negative cosmic force.
Black	the trigrams.
Taegeuk	The balance of yin and yang, the harmony of opposites.
Four trigrams	Heaven, fire, water and earth — drawn from the I Ching, along with the four seasons and cardinal directions.

Proportions

Ratio	2:3
Hoist	2 units
Fly	3 units

About the Flag of South Korea

White field with a taegeuk and four trigrams The recorded proportion is 2:3. Within this library it is grouped with plain field with a central emblem designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for South Korea is White (#FFFFFF), Red (#CD2E3A), Blue (#0047A0) and Black (#000000). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Taegeuk: The balance of yin and yang, the harmony of opposites; Four trigrams: Heaven, fire, water and earth — drawn from the I Ching, along with the four seasons and cardinal directions.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1883. The adoption field for the present record is October 15, 1997.

Additional flag context

The central taegeuk symbol represents balance, and the four trigrams in the corners are drawn from the I Ching, standing for heaven, earth, fire and water.

The design derives from a flag created in 1882 by Bak Yeong-hyo for a diplomatic mission to Japan.

It is one of very few national flags to carry a symbol from a philosophical text rather than from heraldry or politics.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for White field with a taegeuk and four trigrams, a 2:3 proportion and the visible taegeuk. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — South Korea — Specialist vexillological reference

Other plain field with a central emblem flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of South Korea

South Korea is recorded as white field with a taegeuk and four trigrams.
The reference proportion for the flag of South Korea is 2:3.
The stored palette for South Korea contains White, Red, Blue and Black.
The adoption field for this country flag record is October 15, 1997.
The design record traces first use to 1883.
Its construction is grouped with the plain field with a central emblem design family in this library.
Taegeuk: The balance of yin and yang, the harmony of opposites.
Four trigrams: Heaven, fire, water and earth — drawn from the I Ching, along with the four seasons and cardinal directions.
The central taegeuk symbol represents balance, and the four trigrams in the corners are drawn from the I Ching, standing for heaven, earth, fire and water.
The design derives from a flag created in 1882 by Bak Yeong-hyo for a diplomatic mission to Japan.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of South Korea

What does the flag of South Korea look like?

White field with a taegeuk and four trigrams, with a recorded proportion of 2:3.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of South Korea?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 2:3.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of South Korea?

The reference palette lists White #FFFFFF, Red #CD2E3A, Blue #0047A0 and Black #000000.

What do the symbols on the flag of South Korea represent?

Taegeuk — The balance of yin and yang, the harmony of opposites. Four trigrams — Heaven, fire, water and earth — drawn from the I Ching, along with the four seasons and cardinal directions.

When was the present flag record for South Korea adopted?

The adoption field in this record is October 15, 1997.

Which design family does the flag of South Korea belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with plain field with a central emblem designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of South Korea?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.