The meaning of the flags sections

The flag of South Korea, or Taegeukgi (also spelled Taegukgi in convention) was taken from the Chinese design of the yin and yang symbol and has three parts: a white background; a red and blue taegeuk ("Taijitu" or "Yin and Yang") in the center; and four black trigrams, one in each corner of the flag.

The four trigrams (black stripes) originate in the Chinese book of I Ching, representing the four Taoist philosophical ideas about the universe: harmony, symmetry, balance, circulation.

The general design of the flag also derives from traditional use of the tricolor symbol (red, blue and yellow) by Koreans starting from the early era of Korean history. The white background symbolizes "cleanliness of the people."