Flags we Honor
The circle in the center, red upper half and blue lower half, represents absolute, or the essential unity of all being. The Yang (positive) and the Yin (negative) divisions within the circle represent duality. Examples of duality are heaven and hell, fire and water, life and death, good and evil, or night and day
The four trigrams also indicate the duality of opposites and balances. In the upper left trigram, three unbroken lines symbolize Heaven; opposite them in the lower right, three broken lines represent Earth. In the upper right trigram, two broken lines separated by an unbroken line is the symbol of Water; opposite them is Fire, symbolized by two unbroken lines separated by a broken line.
Symbolic of the nation is the white background (the land), the circle (people), and the four trigrams (the government). All three make up the essential elements of the nation
The colors on the flag symbolize: red – valor and hardiness, white – innocence and purity, and blue stands for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.The stars represent the 50 states in the union.
The 13 alternating red and white stripes represent the 13 original colonies.
The fourteen laurel leaves on each side represent the fourteen states of Korea and the advancement of peace. The three seeds joined to the laurel leaves on each side of the emblem represent the “three thousand li” (the distance running north to south) of the “land of morning calm” and its success. The six seeds in total indicate the world and represent the six continents. The fist represents Tae Kwon Do and justice. The Korean character in the center of the circle means Moo Duk Kwan. The character on the left of the circle means Tae and the character on the right of the circle means Kwon. The deep blue color of the emblem represents the three oceans and black belts. As a whole, the emblem symbolizes the spreading of Moo Duk Kwan throughout the fourteen states, i.e. all of Korea, and then across the oceans to the six continents of the world. Moo Duk Kwan, as an international institution, is to achieve the objectives of peace and human advancement as the emblem symbolizes.
Chong shin tong il -mind (and body) together
Won shim - circle of inner strength
Cho shim - beginners’ mind
Mu shim - no mind or empty mind, action without thought