The Korean National Flag

Korea first felt the need for a national flag as it was preparing to conclude the Korean-American Treaty of Commerce, which was concluded on May 22 and signed on June 6, 1882. This was during the 19th year of the reign of King Gojong of the Joseon Kingdom (1392- 1910). Though China had been pressing Korea to use a dragon design on its national flag, Korea rejected this in favor of a blue and red yin-yang on a white field, a favorite Korean design since ancient times. Thus, the taegeuk design flag became the temporary national flag. Later Korea added eight trigrams-combinations of three unbroken and broken bars - around the taegeuk circle and thereby creating the Taegeukgi, which served as the national colors for a while. King Gojong appointed Bak, YoungHyo as his ambassador to Japan in September 1882. While aboard ship heading for Japan, Bak drew a national flag with a taegeuk circle but included only four trigrams instead of eight, and started using the flag on the 25th of that month. On October 3, Park reported this change to King Gojong who formally proclaimed the Taegeukgi as the national flag on March 6, 1883. For some unknown reason, however, he did not have formal instructions published at that time on how to make the flag. In fact, it wasn't till June 29, 1942, that the provisional Korean government in exile enacted a law on the uniform method of making the national flag. The law was promulgated but as the government was in exile, it was not widely known to Koreans at home still under Japanese colonial rule. Following the founding of the Republic of Korea on August 15, 1948, the government felt that it should codify the method of making the national flag. This prompted the government to form a special commission in January 1949 that issued the provision on the national flag on October 15 of that year. Since then, the Republic of Korea has been using the Taegeukgi as the national flag.              The Taegeukgi embodies the ideals of Koreans who have pursued development and prosperity under universal principles and truth.   Standard color shades of Taegeukgi, the Korean National Flag are   follows: in the CIE System, the x, y, and Y coordinates for the red are   x=0.5640, y=0.3194, Y=15.3; for the blue, x=0.1556, y=0.1354,   Y=6.5. Alternatively, in the Munsell System of color Nation, the red   corresponds to 6.0R 4.5/14, and the blue to 5.0PB 3.0/12. In the   Pantone Matching System, 186C red and 294C blue are   recommended.              1) Diameter of circle x 3   2) Diameter of circle x 2   3) Length of flag x 1/2   4) Length of flag x 1/4   5) Diameter of circle x 1/4   6) Diameter of circle x 1/2   7) Diameter of circle x 1/3   8) Diameter of circle x 1/12   9) Diameter of circle x 1/24   10) Right angle(90 degrees)    (Width:Length = 3:2) Meaning of the Taegeukgi The white background of the Taegeukgi symbolizes light and purity and reflects Koreans' traditional affinity for white. A taegeuk circle, divided equally and in perfect balance with red on top and blue below, represents the cosmic dual forces of yin(blue) and yang(red). It symbolizes universal harmony in which the positive and the negative or the active and the passive form a whole. The four trigrams that surround the taegeuk circle in the four corners denote the process of yin and yang going through a spiral of change and growth. The three unbroken bars in the upper left-hand corner denote  geon( heaven - justice), the three broken bars in the lower right-hand corner denote gon( earth - fertility), the two broken bars with one unbroken bar in the middle in the upper right-hand corner denote gam( water - life), and the two unbroken bars with a broken bar in the middle in the lower left-hand corner denote  i( fire - wisdom). Collectively the Taegeukgi represents universal harmony and unity. Thus, the Taegeukgi embodies the ideals of Koreans who have pursued development and prosperity under universal principles and truth and circumscribes the country's tasks of unifying the people and working for world peace and prosperity. Manner to the Flag Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag " Before this proud Taegeukgi, I firmly pledge my loyalty and will devote my body and soul to the eternal glory of my country and people. " When and How to Fly the Flag Days on which the Flag is flown January 1 - New Year's Day March 1 - Independence Movement Day (Anniversary of the                                      March    1, 1919, Independence movement) July 17 - Constitution Day August 15 - Liberation Day October 1 - Armed Forces Day October 3 - National Foundation Day October 9 - Hangeul Day  (The anniversary of the promulgation of the Korean alphabet in 1446) Other days the government designates as national holidays The flag may be flown on days local autonomous governments or provincial or city councils designate as local holidays. The flag is flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning on Memorial Day (June 6), during periods of national mourning, and for state or public funerals. Places Where the Flag is Flown All Year Round It is obligatory to fly the flag every day at national and local government offices, public organizations, schools, and military installations. It is recommended that the flag be flown at places where international events are held such as hotels, large buildings, and parks where large crowds assemble, along walls of government buildings and anywhere flag polls are installed. Private homes and other places may display the national flag all year round if the residents so wish. Raising and Lowering the Flag The flag may be flown 24 hours a day, but if flown at night, it must be illuminated. Schools and military units are required to fly the flag only during daylight hours. The flag should not be flown if there is any possibility that it might be torn or damaged by wind or rain. How to Fly the Flag

On national holidays and  ordinary days, it should be flown at full-mast.

On days of mourning, it should be flown at half-mast.

When the flag is flown in a line with other flags in three or  in other odd numbers, it is placed in the center.

When the number of flags is even, the flag is flown  on the left end as viewed from the front. * When the flag is flown in Korea together with the U.N. flag and flags of other countries, they should be flown in the following order: the U.N. flag, the Korean flag and flags of other countries in alphabet order. Order of Raising or Lowering the Flag When the flag is flown along with other flags, it should either be raised first or simultaneously with the others. When the flag is lowered with other flags, it should either be lowered last or simultaneously with the others. Safekeeping and Care of the National Flag The flag must be folded with great care and stored in a flag box or other container for safekeeping. Additionally, the box or container must be stored in plain sight and be easily accessible. If the flag is dirtied or wrinkled, it may be washed and ironed but care should be taken to ensure its original form is not distorted. If the flag is damaged or worn out, it should not be discarded casually or used for other purposes; it should be burned in a discreet place.

National Flower

Geography Over 70% of the land is mountainous with the eastern regions consisting of mainly rugged mountain ranges and deep valleys. Many people enjoy hiking in the foothills and mountains. Most of the larger rivers and forests are located in the west. The coastline is dotted with bays and it has some of the highest tides in the world. The eastern coastline has many sandy beaches, while the western side consists mainly of mud flats and rocky shores.

South Korea
Location: between 131°52'42"E (East) and 124°11'00"E (West), 43°00'39"N (North) 
and 33°06'40"N (South) Area: 222,154 km² (South Korea: 99,392 km²)

The country extends south from the northeastern end of Asia and consists of the 
Korean Peninsula and over 3,400 islands. It is bordered in the north by Russia and
China and by Japan across the East Sea. Since 1945, the country has been divided 
into the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of 
Korea (North Korea). South Korea is divided into 9 provinces and 3 special cities.

People
Population: over 46.9 million (1999 est.)
Koreans descended from the Mongolian race in prehistoric times. Periods of 
occupation have also added Chinese and Japanese blood to the gene pool. 
Although they have borrowed from other cultures, especially Chinese and Japanese, 
Koreans have maintained their own distinctive language, culture, and customs. 
It is a family orientated society, heavily based on Confucianism, which even in 
modern times retains the basic patterns and manners of family-centered life.

History of Korea

Korea claims a 5,000+ year history, dating from the country's foundation by 
Tan-gun. Its history is full of foreign invaders and various factions vying for power. 
Korean history is broken down into the following periods:

Korean Language

The Korean language is classified as a member of the Ural-Altaic family
(other members of this family include the Mongolian, Finnish, and Hungarian 
languages.) Until the early 1400s, most documents were written in classical
Chinese characters (known in Korean as Hanja). As the idiographs are 
difficult to learn, only the educated people could read and write. King Sejong,
the 4th ruler of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), set up a special committee 
of scholars in 1443 to create a new writing system specifically suited to the 
Korean language.

The result was Han-gul (meaning 'the one script').
It originally contained 28 symbols, although 4 have dropped out of use.
The alphabet has 10 vowels and 14 consonants. 
The consonants represent the simplified outlines of the parts of the mouth 
and tongue used to pronounce them. 
The vowels are associated with elements of the philosophy of the Book of Changes.

The Hangul Characters

Before you begin learning the language, you should take some time to practice writing Hangul.

The symbols are combined into blocks, each one representing a single syllable. 
Each sylable must start with a consonant, although the iung is silent in the initial position.
Text is arranged either in the traditional vertical fashion, with columns reading 
from right to left (as in some newspapers and old books) or in rows reading
left to right (as in most modern novels and magazines). 
The alphabet may appear complicated, but it is actually easy to learn. 
Once you are familiar with the characters, looking up words in a dictionary becomes easy.

When speaking Korean, you use formal or informal words and phrases, 
depending on the status of the person to whom you are talking. 
For example, you generally use informal speech to children and formal speech 
to older people. It is better to err by being too formal rather than showing disrespect.
However, Koreans do not expect foreigners to be fluent and will usually excuse minor mistakes.