Taegeuk is a traditional Korean symbol. The word is cognate with the Chinese term Taiji, meaning "supreme ultimate". The symbol was chosen for the design of the national flag in the 1880s, known as taegeukgi. The Taegeuk is commonly associated with Korean tradition and represents balance in the universe: the red half represents positive cosmic forces, and the blue half represents the opposing negative cosmic forces. It is used in Korean Shamanism, Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.
History
The Taegeuk has been in use for the majority of written history of Korea. The origins of the interlocking-sinusoid design can be traced to as early as the Goguryeo or Silla period, e.g. in the decoration of a sword, dated to the 5th or 6th century, recovered from the grave of Michu of Silla, or an artifact with the a Taegeuk pattern of similar age found in the Bogam-ri tombs of Baekje at Naju, South Jeolla Province in 2008. In the compound of Gameunsa, a temple built in AD 628 during the reign of King Jinpyeong of Silla, a stone object, perhaps the foundation of a pagoda, is carved with the Taegeuk design. In Gojoseon, that is the ancient kingdom of Joseon, the design was used to express the hope for harmony of yin and yang. Today the Taegeuk is commonly associated with Korean tradition and represents balance in the universe: the red half represents positive cosmic forces, and the blue half represents the opposing negative cosmic forces. It is used in Korean shamanism
The Taegeuk symbol is most prominently displayed on South Korea's national flag, called the taegeukgi. Because of the Taegeuk's association with the national flag, it is often used as a patriotic symbol, as are the colors red, blue, and black. The “geon” trigram represents the heaven, spring, east, and justice. The “gon” trigram symbolizes the earth, summer, west, and vitality, the “gam” trigram the moon, winter, north, and wisdom, and the “ri” trigram the sun, autumn, south, and fruition. The four trigrams supposedly move in an endless cycle from “geon” to “ri” to “gon” to “gam” and back to “geon” in their pursuit of perfection. The white background symbolizes the homogeneity, integrity and peace-loving nature of the Korean people. Traditionally, Koreans often wore white clothing, earning the nickname “white-clothed people” and therefore the color white epitomizes the Korean people.
Variants
Tricolored Taegeuk
A popular variant in South Korea is the tricolor Taegeuk, which adds a yellow lobe or "pa". The yellow is taken as representing humanity, in addition to the red and blue representing earth and heaven respectively. This version is related to the Tibetan & Korean Buddhist symbol of Gankyil. A rendition of the tricolored Taegeuk also appeared in the official logo of the 1988 Summer Olympics accompanied by the five Olympic rings. A is used by the Miss Asia Pacific WorldBeauty Pageant, which was hosted in South Korea from its inception in 2011 until 2014, and most recently hosted in Australia in 2018.
