---
title: "Flag of South Korea: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the South Korea flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/south-korea/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of South Korea

**The flag of South Korea: A white field with a red-over-blue circular taegeuk at the centre and four black trigrams, one in each corner.**

Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 1948

*[Flag drawn on the page: South Korea]*

Each trigram is the opposite of the one diagonally across from it, so the whole flag is a statement about balance rather than four separate emblems. The original 1882 design carried eight trigrams; four were dropped for legibility. The exact shades and geometry were only standardised in 1997 — before that, official Taegukgi varied enough that two flags side by side at a state event could visibly differ. The flag was used by the Korean Empire and by the independence movement, which is why both Koreas trace their symbols to the same 1882 design even though the North abandoned it in 1948.

## What the colours mean

*Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.*

- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Peace and purity; the traditional colour of Korean dress
- **Red** (#CD2E3A) — The yang half of the taegeuk — positive cosmic forces
- **Blue** (#0047A0) — The yin half — negative cosmic forces, in balance with the red
- **Black** (#000000) — The four trigrams

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Taegeuk | The balance of opposing forces; the same concept as the Chinese taiji |
| ☰ Geon | Heaven, spring, east, justice — upper hoist |
| ☷ Gon | Earth, summer, west, vitality — lower fly |
| ☵ Gam | Water, winter, north, wisdom — lower hoist |
| ☲ Ri | Fire, autumn, south, fruition — upper fly |

- **Ratio:** 2:3
- **Current design adopted:** 1948
- **Colours:** white, red, blue, black

## Common questions

### What does the flag of South Korea look like?

A white field with a red-over-blue circular taegeuk at the centre and four black trigrams, one in each corner.

### What do the colours of the South Korea flag mean?

White: peace and purity; the traditional colour of Korean dress. Red: the yang half of the taegeuk — positive cosmic forces. Blue: the yin half — negative cosmic forces, in balance with the red. Black: the four trigrams.

### When was the South Korea flag adopted?

The current design dates from 1948, and its official ratio is 2:3.

## Related pages

- [South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country/south-korea/)
- [Every flag with white in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/white/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of India](https://atoneplace.net/flag/india/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [The flag of Japan](https://atoneplace.net/flag/japan/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of Russia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/)
- [The flag of Brazil](https://atoneplace.net/flag/brazil/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)