National Flag of Korea

The Korean flag (태극기) is called "Taegeukgi" in Korean. Its design symbolizes the principles of the yin and yang in Oriental philosophy. The circle in the center of the Korean flag is divided into two equal parts. The upper red section represents the proactive cosmic forces of the yang. Conversely, the lower blue section represents the responsive cosmic forces of the yin. The two forces together embody the concepts of continual movement, balance and harmony that characterize the sphere of infinity. The circle is surrounded by four trigrams, one in each corner. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal elements: heaven (), earth (), fire (), and water ().

URL : http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/AK/AK_EN_1_4_1.jsp

 

Korea's National Flower, Sharon of Rose

Sharon of Rose(Botanical name: Hibiscus syriacus)
TThe national flower of Korea is the mugunghwa (무궁화), rose of sharon. Every year from July to October, a profusion of mugunghwa blossoms graces the entire country. Unlike most flowers, the mugunghwa is remarkably tenacious and able to withstand both blight and insects. The flower’s symbolic significance stems from the Korean word mugung, meaning immortality. This word accurately reflects the enduring nature of Korean culture, and the determination and perseverance of the Korean people.

URL : http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/AK/AK_EN_1_4_1.jsp

The Korean alphabet, also known as Hangul.

Joseon Dynasty in 1443, King Sejong

  The Korean alphabet, also known as Hangul, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It was created during the Joseon Dynasty in 1443, and is now the official script of both North Korea and South Korea, and co-official in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of China's Jilin Province. In South Korea, Hangul is sometimes augmented by Chinese characters, called hanja, whereas in North Korea, hanja is virtually nonexistent.

 

  Hangul is a true alphabet of 24 consonant and vowel letters. However, instead of being written sequentially like the letters of the Latin alphabet, Hangul letters are grouped into blocks, such as 한 han, each of which transcribes a syllable. That is, although the syllable 한 han may look like a single character, it is composed of three letters: ㅎ h, ㅏ a, and ㄴ n. Each syllabic block consists of two to five letters, including at least one consonant and one vowel. These blocks are then arranged horizontally from left to right or vertically from top to bottom. The number of mathematically possible blocks is 11,172, though there are far fewer possible syllables allowed by Korean phonotactics, and not all phonotactically-possible syllables occur in actual Korean words. For a phonological description, see Korean phonology.

source : Wikipedia

Former Presidents Of R.O.K.