Emblem of South Korea

The National Emblem of the Republic of Korea (Hangul: 대한민국의 국장 / Hanja: 大韓民國의 國章) consists of the taeguk symbol present on the country's national flag surrounded by five stylized petals and a ribbon bearing the inscription "The Republic of Korea" (Daehan Minguk), the official name of the country, in Hangul characters. The Taegeuk represents peace and harmony. The five petals all have meaning and are related to Korea's national flower, the Hibiscus syriacus, or Rose of Sharon (mugunghwa (무궁화/無窮花). The emblem was adopted in 1963.