Taegeuk

Taegeuk
Taegeuk symbol
Korean name
Hangul	태극
Hanja	太極
Revised Romanization	Taegeuk
McCune–Reischauer	T'aegŭk

Taegeuk refers to the ultimate reality from which all things and values originate. It is also the symbol that makes up the center of the South Korean Flag.

History

The taegeuk design dates back to the 7th century in Korea but recent excavations go back even further. There is a stone carved with the taegeuk design in the compound of Gameunsa Temple, built in 628 during the reign of King Jinpyeong of Silla. Traces of taegeuk design have been found in the remains of the ancient cultures in Korea: in Goguryeo tomb and in Silla remains. Recently however, a 1,400-year-old artifact with the taegeuk pattern has been found in Bogam-ri Baekje tombs at Naju, South Jeolla Province, making it the oldest taegeuk symbol found in Korea which predates by 682 years what had been the oldest artifact that held the taegeuk pattern found at the Gameunsa Temple.

The taegeuk design was also used to drive off evil spirits. In the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, the design was later used to represent Korean taoism and to express the hope for harmony of eun and yang to enable the people to live happy lives with good government. The blue and red swirling semicircles of the Taegeuk pattern have existed since ancient times.

Modern usage

The Taegeuk symbol is most prominently displayed on South Korea's national flag, called the Taegeukgi (along with four of the eight trigram diagrams). 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 benevolence. The “gon” trigram symbolizes the earth, summer, west, and justice, the “gam” trigram the moon, winter, north, and wisdom, and the “ri” trigram the sun, autumn, south, and courtesy. 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. The Korean people have traditionally worn white clothes, earning the nickname “white-clothed people.” The color white symbolizes the Korean people.

Paralympic usage

The official paralympic symbol for the Paralympic Games used by the International Paralympic Committee had three Tae-Geuks in its logo prior to the end of the 2004 Summer Paralympics, when it was replaced with three Agitos. The usage of tae-geuks started at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, using five Tae-Geuk designs arranged similarly to the Olympic Rings, with a similar five color set.

Three-taegeuk

A popular variant in Korea is the Three-taegeuk (三太極, Sam-taegeuk), which adds a yellow lobe, representing humanity, to the red and blue. The Sam-Taegeuk is frequently seen as a design on the face of fans. The Sam-Taegeuk also appears in the official logo of the 1988 Summer Olympics, accompanied by the five Olympic rings.

Gallery

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  Taegeukgi, the flag of South Korea, with a blue and red Taegeuk in the center.

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  Sam-Taegeuk

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  Alternative Sam-Taegeuk

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  First Paralympic symbol (1988–1994) used five Tae-Geuks.

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  Second Paralympic symbol (1994–2004) used three Tae-Geuks.

See also

• Korean culture
• Taeguk (Taekwondo)
• Gankyil
• Taijitu
• Tomoe
• Traditional Korean thought
• triskelion