A South Korea is one of the countries already guaranteed at the 2026 World Cup. The team led by Son Heung-min is one of the 48 teams that will be at the World Cup, which will be played in Mexico, Canada and the United States between June 11 and July 19 next year.
MORE: 2026 World Cup: which teams have already qualified?
One of the magics involving World Cups is reaching the most varied audiences, presenting different cultures and raising doubts in spectators, often with little connection to football.
History of flags and shields of countries and teams, for example, generate some of the simplest questions before and during the World Cup. Therefore, the The Sporting News apresents curiosities about some countries that will be at the 2026 World Cup. This is the turn of South Korea.
The flag of South Korea
The flag of the Republic of Korea (official name) is known as Taegeukgi 태극기 [téguki]. It is composed of a red and blue circle in the center, divided into two equal parts by a wavy line, surrounded by a white background, in addition to four black trigrams in the corners.
What is the red and blue circle in the center of the flag?
O red and blue circle in the centertaegeuk taegeuk [téguk]symbolizes harmony and balance between opposites. These are the fundamental principles of the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, where red represents yang, the positive and light principle, while blue represents yin, the negative and dark principle.
What do the stripes around the circle mean?
Os trigramas, 건 [kón]Gon [kôn]persimmon [kam] e ri [li] They represent the elements of nature – sky, earth, fire and water. Each trigram also represents the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) and also the four directions (north, south, east and west), while the white background represents clarity, peace and purity. All this symbolism represents harmony between nature and humanity.
White is considered a significant color in Korean culture, symbolizing purity, simplicity and innocence.
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Who created the South Korean flag?
Although it was officially adopted as the national flag in 1948, when Korea finally gained independence after years under Japanese occupation and the subsequent division of the country into two distinct nations, the flag was first created during the imperial period in 1882 by King Gojong 고종 [kodjon]from the Joseon Dynasty.
At that period, the country sought modernization and affirmation as an independent nation, since it did not have an official flag, but only banners and other flags of the kingdoms.
The first version of Taegeukgi was designed by politician, diplomat and prince consort Geumneung, named Park Yeong-hyo 박영효 [pak iónriô]which drew on the ideas of the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang to create the design. However, the flag was banned during the period of Japanese colonization in Korea from 1910 to 1945, when the Japanese flag was mandatory in all schools and public buildings.
From 1948 to the present day, the Taegeukgi has been the national flag of South Korea and an important source of pride and identity for the Korean people.
