Ruling party spokespersons call Taegeukgi at Liberation Day ceremony 'new code' for anti-state forces

Spokespersons for South Korea's ruling People Power Party have sparked controversy by criticizing the Taegeukgi, the national flag, displayed at the 81st Liberation Day ceremony on August 15. The party's media spokespersons alleged that the flags' designs, which varied from the current standardized version, constituted a deliberate "insult to the national flag" and a "new code" used by anti-state forces.

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It's bizarre to display five different flags in various directions, and not a single one is hung correctly.

Park Min-young, a media spokesperson, posted on Facebook screenshots of the ceremony, claiming the Lee Jae-myung government had "reversed" the Taegeukgi. She stated, "It's bizarre to display five different flags in various directions, and not a single one is hung correctly." She further asserted, "This is a level of desperation to show they are deliberately insulting the national flag, as if it's a new code shared among anti-state forces."

However, historical records and government explanations reveal that the five flags displayed were historically significant. They included the "Buwonbok Taegeukgi" (used by the Korean Empire's righteous army), the Taegeukgi of the Provisional Assembly of the Provisional Government, the current standard Taegeukgi, a Taegeukgi signed by independence activist Kim Gu, and a Taegeukgi signed by members of the Korean Liberation Army. These flags predate the standardization of the Taegeukgi's design in 1949 and are designated as national treasures or registered cultural heritage.

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This is a level of desperation to show they are deliberately insulting the national flag, as if it's a new code shared among anti-state forces.

The controversy also extended to the vertical display of some flags. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained that the placement of the trigrams followed Article 14 of the Enforcement Decree of the State Symbols Act, which stipulates that the "I-gwae" should be positioned to the upper left when the flag is hung vertically. While the arrangement of the trigrams on some of these historical flags differs from the current standard, their historical context and designation as cultural assets underscore their significance.

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When the flag is hung vertically, the I-gwae is positioned to the upper left.