The South Korean and American Flags

The meaning of South Korean National Flag is very philosophical. The origin comes from the Oriental philosophy called Um and Yang (the Chinese pronunciation is Yin and Yang). In Korea, the symbol of 'Um and Yang', and sometimes the flag itself, is called 'Tae Geuk-Gi' and summarizes the thoughts of 'I Ching' (called 'Yeok' in Korean). The flag has been called the flag of 'Great Extremes'.

The flag consists of three parts: The white background, the red and blue circle in the center and four Trigrams...one in each corner of the flag.

The white background of the flag symbolizes purity, sincerity and the land. The color white represents peace.

The red and blue circle in the center is called 'Tae Geuk', the origin of all things in the universe, with the central thought being perfect harmony and balance...a continuous movement within the sphere of infinity, resulting in one unit. The circle itself represents the people and the two comma shaped parts represent the ancient Eastern philosophy of opposites and their interaction and interdependence with/upon each other. The blue part of 'Tae Geuk' is called 'Um' and represents the MOON and all negative/passive aspects of the balance that is typical for the symbol. The red part is called 'Yang' and represents the SUN and represents all positive/aggressive aspects.

In the corners of the flag are four groups of broken lines and they represent the Korean government. They are called TRIGRAMS. There are eight (8) in total and each has it's own specific meaning. The Trigrams come from the sixty-four (64) HEXAGRAMS which are the sixty-four examples of different ways/elements of life as formulated by the ancient Chinese within the philosophy/religion of Taoism. The Trigram in the upper left hand corner (three unbroken lines) represents HEAVEN and the Trigram in the opposite lower right hand corner (three broken lines) represents EARTH. The Trigram in the upper right hand corner (solid line inside broken lines) represents WATER and the Trigram in the lower left hand corner (broken line inside solid lines) represents FIRE. The Water Trigram also means that the most important or valuable should be protected by the least important or valuable. The Fire Trigram also means that the strong should support the weak.

For the Korean people their flag of 'Tae Geuk-Gi' is a source of pride and inspiration. During the Japanese occupation period beginning in 1910 the Korean flag was outlawed in public places and for about thirty-five years the 'Tae Geuk-Gi' flags were kept hidden until Liberation Day in 1945. Shortly after the end of World War II in 1945, the Korean peninsula was politically divided at the 38th parallel into Communist North Korea and the Republic of South Korea. The South Korean flag has been a symbol of it's country's struggle for independence and freedom.

Origin

The oldest 'Um and Yang' symbol, which was inscribed in stone, was found in Korea. At the end of the 19th century, Korea needed their own flag. It is believed that Young-Hyo Park came up with the first concept. At that time, Korea was under the influence of several different colonists, such as the Japanese, Chinese and Russians.

The symbols

Um (Yin) means dark and cold, while Yang means bright and hot. A very old book called Joo-Yeok which was written by a Chinese claims all objects and events in the world are expressed by the movement of Um and Yang. For example, the Moon is Um while the Sun is Yang. The Earth is Um and the Sky is Yang. The Night is Um and the Day is Yang. The Winter is Um and the Summer is Yang. Um and Yang are relative. Therefore, A can be Um with respect to B while A can be Yang with respect to C. For example, the Spring is Yin with respect to the Summer and it is at the same time Yang with respect to the Winter. These opposites are necessary to keep order in the universe, but too much of one without the other creates imbalance, such as too much rain causes floods and damage...and too little rain causes droughts and destroys crops.

	Kun	Heaven
	Yi	Fire
	Kam	Water
	Kon	Earth

The American Flag

The U.S. Flag    'Stars and Stripes' and 'Old Glory' are the two most prominent names for the national flag of the United States. In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that became the American National Anthem, in which he referred to the flag as the 'Star Spangled Banner'. The American flag stands for the land, the people, the government and the ideals of the United States and has undergone many changes since the first official flag of 1777.
   On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act, which said that the flag would be made up of thirteen alternating red and white stripes representing the 13 original colonies. It also said that the Union would consist of thirteen white stars on a blue field which would be symbolic of a new constellation, but left no record indicating as to why they chose the specific colors of the flag.
   On April 14, 1818, Congress ordered that a star be added for each new state that joined the Union. Currently, the flag contains 50 stars which represent the fifty states. Even though it appears that the colors did not have a specific meaning at the time the flag was created, they did become significant for the flag after the same colors were chosen for the Great Seal of the Unites States in 1782. The Congressional resolution on the Great Seal listed meanings for the following colors:

The colors

White : Signifies purity and innocence
Red : Signifies valor and bravery
Blue : Signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice

Stars are considered a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial...the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun.