South Korea Flag Meaning: Taegeuk, Trigrams & Color Symbolism
South Korea’s Taegeukgi combines a white field, a red-and-blue Taegeuk symbol and four black trigrams representing fundamental elements of nature.
What does the white background mean?
Korea.net describes white as symbolizing brightness, purity and peace.
What is the Taegeuk?
The red-and-blue circle in the centre represents yin and yang: opposing but complementary forces that exist in balance.
What does the red half mean?
The red upper half represents the active or positive aspect traditionally associated with yang.
What does the blue half mean?
The blue lower half represents the receptive or negative aspect traditionally associated with yin.
What do the four trigrams mean?
The black corner symbols are gwae, each made from combinations of broken and unbroken lines. The four on the national flag represent heaven, earth, water and fire.
Which trigram is which?
| Geon ☰ | Heaven |
|---|---|
| Gon ☷ | Earth |
| Gam ☵ | Water |
| Ri ☲ | Fire |
Why is the flag called Taegeukgi?
The name comes from the central Taegeuk symbol combined with gi, meaning flag.
How can you identify it?
Look for the red-blue circular symbol in the middle of a white field with four different black trigrams arranged in the corners.
