All about the Flag of South Korea    [16-07-2010] Our national flag is called Taegeukgi. Do you know when it was adopted? Do you know how many colors are used in Taegeukgi? And do you know what the taegeuk mark in the center represents? This week, let’s learn all about our national flag! Taegeukgi has a white background, a red and blue taegeuk mark in the middle, and four black trigrams in each corner. The white background symbolizes brightness, purity, and peace. The taegeuk mark represents the harmony of yin and yang, which is the origin of all things in the universe. The upper red part of the circle represents yang and the lower blue part represents yin. The four trigrams are called “geon,” “gon,” “gam,” and “ri” and they symbolize all of the movements of objects and events in the universe. The broken bars represent yin and the unbroken bars symbolize yang. “Geon” in the upper left-hand corner represents the sky, spring, East, metal, and justice. “Gon” in the lower right-hand corner represents the earth, summer, West, fertility, and righteousness. “Gam” in the upper right corner symbolizes the moon, winter, North, water, vitality, and intelligence. Lastly, “ri” in the lower left corner represents the sun, autumn, South, fire, wisdom, and courtesy. Taegeukgi was officially declared the national flag of Korea by King Gojong in 1883. During the Japanese rule of Korea (1910~1945), the flag was banned. During the Japanese occupation, the flag was used as a symbol of independence and resistance. We raise our national flag on national holidays including the Memorial Day현충일, Armed Forces Day국군의 날, and National Liberation Day광복절. Schools and public buildings hoist the flag all year round. Of course we use Taegeukgi to cheer for the Korean national soccer team during the World Cup, too!     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)