National symbols of South Korea

The national symbols of South Korea are official and unofficial flags, icons, or cultural expressions that are emblematic, representative, or otherwise characteristic of South Korea (the Republic of Korea) and of its culture. Since the division of the Korean peninsula in 1948, South Korea has retained traditional symbols to distinguish from the national symbols of North Korea.

Symbols

	Symbol	Image	Notes
Flag	Flag of South Korea	Taegukgi	Current version, adopted in 2011; inaugural version from 1948.
Emblem	Emblem of South Korea	Emblem of South Korea (Taegeuk; Hibiscus syriacus)	The original version of the emblem was announced on 10 December 1963;[1][2][3][4] the current version (shown here) was adopted in 2011.
National anthem	Aegukga 애국가	Aegukga sheet music Aegukga
Song	Arirang 아리랑
Seal	National seal Guksae		Current version, adopted in 2011; inaugural version was adopted in 1949.
Governmental emblem	Government emblem of South Korea (Taegeuk)	Government Seal of South Korea
National motto	홍익인간 (弘益人間)	"Benefit broadly in the human world / Devotion to the Welfare of Humanity"
National tree	Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora)	Korean red pine
National flower	Mugunghwa (Hibiscus syriacus)	Hibiscus syriacus
National bird	Korean magpie (Pica sericea)	Korean magpie
National animal	Korean tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)	Siberian tiger
National fruit	Asian Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia)
National currency	South Korean won
Patron saint	Andrew Kim Taegon
National founder	Dangun
De facto National poet	Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn, Han Yong-un, Pak Mok-wol, Jeong Cheol
National epic	Jewang Un'gi, King Dongmyeong
De facto National dance	Buchaechum, Ganggangsullae, Geommu
National costume	Hanbok
National insect	Callipogon relictus	Callipogon relictus	Unofficial symbol of the Entomological Society of Korea and Korean Entomological Institute
National instrument	Gayageum
National stone	Amethyst
National colours		White #FFFFFF Red #CD2E3A Blue #0047A0 Black #000000
National mountains	Paektu Mountain, Hallasan	Paektu Mountain Hallasan	Paektu Mountain is located in North Korea and China Both are part of the larger Baekdu-daegan
National sport	Taekwondo	Taekwondo
National dish	Kimchi	Various kimchi
National liquor	Makgeolli

References

1. Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Korea (2017). National Symbols of the Republic of Korea: Uniting People and Elevating National Pride. Seoul: Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Korea. pp. 10–11. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
2. "우리나라 국가상징> 나라문장".
3. Myers, Brian Reynolds (2011). "North Korea's state-loyalty advantage". Free Online Library. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018. The state emblem (adopted in 1963) is a taegeuk symbol on a rose of Sharon--another purely racial symbol.
4. 관보 [Official Gazette]. Government of the Republic of Korea. 10 December 1963. pp. 25–26. Retrieved 5 July 2024.