Handmade Taegukgi (The Flag of Korea)
It was on the night of August 17, 1945 that Duk-sang Kang first saw the Taegukgi. It was when he evacuated to his family’s home in the countryside.
It was a small rural town but a surprising number of Koreans had assembled to celebrate liberation together. A Japanese “rising sun” flag was taken down. Half of its red circle was painted black, and in the four corners were inserted geon (☰), representing the heavens; gon (☷), representing the earth; gam (☵), representing water; and li (☲), representing fire. After completion, the Koreans shouted, “Long Live Korean Independence!”
Many such Taegukgi flags were made after liberation. This flag was hand-made by the late Hae-sung Kim soon after liberation.
