National Flag of South Korea.
Cotton flags from the Republic of Korea, more commonly called South Korea, were widely distributed during the Korean War (1950 - 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 that was 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 is accented by four corner trigrams, each symbolizing one of the four universal elements: earth, heaven, water and fire.
This flag is typical of a printed cotton Korean flag finished with corner tabs and grommets, and it was likely returned to the United States by a returning GI. The flags acquisition in close proximity to California's Fort Ord suggests that it was a soldier attached to the 7th Infantry Division.
Provenance: Acquired by purchase at a military surplus store in Moss Landing, CA.
ZFC Collectible Flag
Sources:
South Korea, Flags of the World, 1 May 2012, from: http://flagspot.net/flags/kr.html
United Nations Command (Korea), Wikipedia, 1 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Command_%28Korea%29
Fort Ord, Wikipedia, 1 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ord
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
