Taegukgi: por qué la bandera de Corea del Sur es la única basada en el I Ching

The Taegukgi is a 2:3 white rectangle with a Taeguk (yin-yang) circle at its exact centre. The circle's diameter is half the flag's height. The upper half is red, the lower half is blue, and the S-curve between them shows the cosmological principle that yin and yang contain seeds of each other.

In each of the four corners is a gwae — a black trigram of three horizontal bars, each either solid or broken. There are eight possible trigrams in the I Ching; the Taegukgi uses four of them: Geon (☰, three solid bars, representing heaven) in the upper-left; Ri (☲, broken-solid-broken bars; fire) in the lower-left; Gam (☵, solid-broken-solid; water) in the upper-right; and Gon (☷, three broken bars; earth) in the lower-right.

The arrangement is not random. The four trigrams are positioned so that opposites face each other across the flag. Heaven (Geon) is opposite Earth (Gon); Fire (Ri) is opposite Water (Gam). The composition reads as a complete cosmological diagram: a balanced universe held together by the central yin-yang.

The Taegukgi is one of the most distinctive flags in the world — nothing else looks like it. Quick identification:

• White field with red-and-blue circle. If you see white field plus red-blue yin-yang, it's South Korean.
• Trigrams must be black bars, not symbols. The four corner elements are I Ching trigrams — three short horizontal bars, some solid, some broken. If you see characters, stars, or other symbols, it is not the official flag.
• Don't confuse with North Korea's flag. North Korea's flag is horizontal bands of blue, red (wide), blue, with a white circle and a red star — entirely different. The Taegukgi is exclusively South Korean.
• The yin-yang has Korean colours, not Chinese. Chinese yin-yang symbols are typically black and white. The Taeguk on Korea's flag is red (top, yang) and blue (bottom, yin) — deliberately distinct from the Chinese version.

August 1882 — Pak Yeong-hyo Sketches the First Taegukgi

Korean diplomat Pak Yeong-hyo was sailing to Japan as part of a delegation to negotiate trade relations. The ship needed a Korean flag for protocol — but the Joseon dynasty had never used a standardised national banner. Pak adapted the existing royal seal of King Gojong, which featured the Taeguk and trigrams, into a portable flag design. He sketched it on board ship and the delegation flew it for the first time in Kobe on 14 August 1882.

1883 — The Joseon Court Adopts It

King Gojong formally adopted Pak's design as the Joseon national flag on 27 January 1883. The Taegukgi flew over Korea throughout the late Joseon dynasty and the Korean Empire (1897-1910).

1910 to 1945 — Japanese Occupation

After Japan annexed Korea in 1910, the Taegukgi was banned. Possessing one became a criminal act. The flag survived in exile: the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai continued to fly it, and resistance fighters used it as a symbol of independence throughout the 35-year occupation. The 1 March 1919 independence movement saw the Taegukgi raised in public protests across Korea, with severe Japanese reprisals.

15 August 1945 — Liberation

Japanese surrender ended the occupation. Koreans across the peninsula raised the Taegukgi publicly for the first time in 35 years. The day is still commemorated each year as Gwangbokjeol (Liberation Day).

15 October 1949 — The Republic of Korea Standardises the Design

After the 1948 founding of the Republic of Korea, the government issued the National Flag Act on 15 October 1949, formalising the Taegukgi's proportions, colours, and trigram positions. The current dimensions were finalised by the Ministry of the Interior on 25 January 1950.

When it flies

Government buildings, schools, and many private homes fly the Taegukgi on Korea's five major national holidays: Samiljeol (Independence Movement Day, 1 March), Jeheonjeol (Constitution Day, 17 July), Gwangbokjeol (Liberation Day, 15 August), Gaecheonjeol (National Foundation Day, 3 October), and Hangeul Day (9 October).

Half-mast and memorial use

On Hyeonchungil (Memorial Day, 6 June), the flag flies at half-mast across the country to honour those who died in the Korean War and other conflicts. The Sewol ferry disaster on 16 April 2014 prompted an unprecedented month-long half-mast period — the longest in Korean history.

Sporting events

During the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Korea, the Taegukgi became a global icon — Korean fans wearing the red 'Be the Reds' supporter shirts created seas of red and Taegukgi waves in stadiums. The image of millions of Taegukgi held aloft is now part of contemporary Korean cultural memory.

The largest official Taegukgi flies over Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul — a 30-metre flagpole at the historic gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is the most photographed flag location in the country, especially during the changing-of-the-guard ceremony held three times daily.

For the most moving flag experience, visit the Seodaemun Prison History Hall in northwest Seoul. The former Japanese colonial prison preserves cells where Korean independence activists were imprisoned for displaying the Taegukgi during the occupation. The museum's main hall features a wall of Taegukgi-themed protest art from the 1919 March 1st Movement.

In Busan, the United Nations Memorial Cemetery flies the Taegukgi alongside the flags of the 22 countries that fought under UN command in the Korean War — the only UN cemetery of its kind in the world. The 2,300 graves include soldiers from Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Before you go, a SimYak South Korea eSIM keeps you online with SK Telecom and KT 5G — the same networks Koreans use, from Seoul subway tunnels to Jeju Island beaches.