KIIP level 5 chapter 1: Symbols of Korea

KIIP Level 5 Chapter 1 Section 1: 대한민국의 국기와 국가는?

English Translation

The official name of Korea is 대한민국. 한국 is the shortened form of 대한민국. In hanja, it is 大韓民國, in English it is called The Republic of Korea. In general, it is called 남한 or South Korea, which is a name used to distinguish it from North Korea. The current name of the Republic of Korea has been in use since 1948. 

The national flag of the Republic of Korea is called the 태극기 (太極旗). The 태국기 has a white background with a red and blue 태극 motif in the center and 4 black trigrams (4괘) in the corners. The white background represents brightness (밝음), purity (순수), and love for peace (평화). The red in the central Taegeuk motif represents  nobility (존귀), and the blue represents hope (희망). The combination of red and blue represents a harmonious universe (조화로운 우주). The 4괘 around it represent the sky (간), the earth (곤), water (감), and fire (리), emphasizing the harmony of nature. Considering these meanings, it can be seen that the 태극기 emphasizes peace and harmony (평화와 화합). In Korea, it is common to hang the 태극기 on the side of your house door or window on national holidays or national anniversaries. 

Each country has a national anthem that symbolizes the country. In the Republic of Korea, the national anthem is called 애국가, which means "love of country" (나라를 사랑하는 노래). The 애국가, which has been in use for about 100 years, has a total of 4 verses (4절), but only the first verse is sung except for important national events.

 

KIIP Level 5 Chapter 1 Section 2:

In South Korea, the national flower symbol is the "무궁화" (Hibiscus syriacus or Rose of Sharon). The name "무궁화" means “a flower that blooms forever without withering” (‘영원히 피고 또 피어서 지지 않는 꽃’). In reality, the 무궁화 usually blooms daily between July and October, and a single tree can have around two thousand flowers. It has been the beloved national flower of Korea for a long time. Additionally, the shape of the fully bloomed five-petaled Mugunghwa is used as the symbol of the South Korean government.

The Korean writing system, "한글" was created approximately 600 years ago during the reign of King Sejong (세종대왕). Hangul is a scientific phonetic writing system that combines consonants (자음 14개) and vowels (모음 10개) to create characters. Consonants were designed based on the human vocal organs, while vowels were created by combining three elements: heaven 하늘 (·), earth 땅 (-), and human 사람 (ㅣ). When combined, there are 24 characters in total. 한글 is relatively easy to learn as you simply write down the sounds you hear. After the creation of Hangul, the illiteracy (문맹) rate deceased, and it greatly contributed to the development of Korean culture. UNESCO acknowledges the spirit of 한글 and awards the "Sejong Literacy Prize" (세종대왕상) to individuals or organizations with significant contributions to global literacy campaigns.