The Korea Heritage Service has begun a full-scale review of whether Taegeukgi (Korean national flags) produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries qualify as "National Treasures," it has been learned. Currently, the only Taegeukgi designated as cultural heritage hold the lower "Treasure" status. Interest in the national flag and expectations for "National Treasure" designation have grown as the country marked the 80th anniversary of its liberation last year.
According to the Korea Heritage Service on the 19th, a plan to investigate Taegeukgi for National Treasure designation was reported at a Cultural Heritage Committee meeting (now reorganized as the National Heritage Committee) held late last month. "There have been continued calls to reevaluate Taegeukgi as modern movable cultural heritage," the agency explained. "After consulting with experts, we have decided to review the appropriateness and feasibility of National Treasure designation."
According to the agency's report, three Taegeukgi currently classified as cultural heritage are candidates for elevation to National Treasure status: the "Denny Taegeukgi" housed at the National Museum of Korea, the "Kim Koo-Signed Taegeukgi" at the Independence Hall of Korea, and the "Seoul Jingwansa Taegeukgi" at Jingwansa Temple in Seoul. All three were designated as Treasures in 2021.
The "Denny Taegeukgi" is the oldest surviving original Taegeukgi, estimated to have been produced before 1890. It belonged to American Owen Nickerson Denny (1838–1900), who took it with him when he returned to his home country in 1891. His descendants donated it to Korea in 1981. Denny served as a foreign affairs and internal affairs adviser to the Joseon government beginning in 1886. The Denny Taegeukgi measures 262 cm wide by 182.5 cm tall, making it the largest among old Taegeukgi.
The second candidate, the "Kim Koo-Signed Taegeukgi," is so named because it bears the signature of Kim Koo (Baekbeom). In 1941, Kim wrote on the flag in his capacity as Chairman of the State Council of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and gave it to Belgian priest Maeusa (real name Charles Meeus). Father Maeusa traveled to the United States and delivered the Taegeukgi to the wife of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho. After being preserved by descendants, it was donated to the Independence Hall of Korea in 1985 as one of "Ahn Chang-ho's belongings." The Kim Koo-Signed Taegeukgi is the only known Taegeukgi from the 19th to early 20th century with a precisely documented production date.
The "Seoul Jingwansa Taegeukgi" is a flag that was kept at Jingwansa, a temple at the foot of Bukhansan Mountain. It features the taegeuk symbol and four trigrams painted in ink over a Japanese rising sun flag. It is estimated to have been produced and used immediately after the March 1st Independence Movement of 1919. It was discovered in 2009 during the dismantling and restoration of Chilseonggak, an annex building of the temple. As the only known case of a Taegeukgi drawn over a Japanese flag, it carries significant symbolic meaning as a powerful expression of anti-Japanese resolve.
The Korea Heritage Service plans to select the targets of designation investigation by June and complete the review process. As a result, the country's first "National Treasure Taegeukgi" could emerge as early as the end of this year.
