South Korea National Flag.
This small cotton South Korean flag is a souvenir of the Korean War. Flags from the Republic of Korea, more commonly called South Korea, were widely distributed during the Korean War (1950 to 1953) for use in conjunction with United Nations flags and the flags of one of the 18 nations with combat forces participating in the United Nations Command, led by the United States.
The Korean flag, or "taegukki", has a central circle divided into two equal halves, symbolizing the Oriental philosophic principals of yin and yang, or the positive (red) and negative (blue) forces of the cosmos. The stylized red and blue fish chase each other endlessly, representing the constant movement and balance that creates harmony. The yin and yang are accented by four corner trigrams, each symbolizing one of the four universal elements, earth, wind (heaven), water and fire.
Small flags like this were likely used for patriotic purposes to boost South Korean moral and national pride. They could also be used on South Korean military vehicles to further identify them. This well preserved flag is typical of flags brought home by returning GIs as a memento of service.
Provenance: Acquired by purchase.
ZFC Noteworthy Flag
Sources:
South Korea, Flags of the World, 7 May 2012, from: http://flagspot.net/flags/kr.html
United Nations Command (Korea), Wikipedia, 7 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Command_%28Korea%29
Fort Ord, Wikipedia, 7 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ord
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
