Flag of Korea, South
Based on the 19 th century flag of the United Kingdom of Korea, this flag has been used in its present form since 1950, after the kingdom was partitioned. The white field represents the people’s purity and desire for peace, while its central emblem is the red and blue yin-yang symbol, representing creation and development through duality and balance. Around this are four black trigrams, or kwae symbols, taken from the ‘I Ching’ (the ancient Chinese book of divination and philosophy); they represent the four seasons, four compass points, four elements and the sun, moon, earth and heaven. They denote the process of yin and yang going through a spiral of change and growth.
The ratio of the flag is 2:3.
