Today is the 73rd year of South Korea’s independence. South Korea was occupied by Japanese imperial rule from 1910 until the end of WW2 on this day, 1945. And during the 35/36 long years of oppression and suffering, many courageous men and women, young and old, were killed and slaughtered trying to fight for our land, our power, and our freedom.
Though it was a difficult and terrifying time in our history, the hopes and the sheer willpower of those that put their lives down for our liberation became the cement and the root of our people. We remember our heroes: those that swore to protect our people with their blood, the thousands in the marches, the battle warriors with lunch box bombs and masked snipers in the shadows, the dreaming poet who was tortured as medical lab rats.
Our flag depicts the soul of our nation. The flag consists of three parts: the white background, the red and blue circle in the center and four trigrams, one in each corner of the flag. The white background of the flag means peace. The red and blue circle in the center refers to the origin of all things in life, perfect harmony and balance. The continuous movement flow of the Yin (blue half) and the Yang (red half) within the sphere of infinity shows the unity and duality of the world.
The four trigrams at the corners (called 'Kwe' in Korean) representing the four elements, the heavens (upper-left 3 solid bars), fire (bottom left corner - 2 solid bars with split middle bar), water (top right corner - 2 split bars with solid middle bar) and earth (bottom right - 3 split bars).
Overall, all these symbols in the flag represent the necessities as a nation.
The land, (the white background), the people (the circle), and the four trigrams (the government.
Kim Gu, aka. Baek Beom was a leader of the Korean independence movement and reunification activist. I will leave you all with an excerpt from his autobiography- Baekbeomilji.
If God asked me what was my wish, I would reply unhesitatingly, "Korean independence.” If he asked me what was my second wish, I would again answer, "My country's independence.” If he asked me what was my third wish, I would reply in an even louder voice, "My wish is the complete independence of my country, Korea."
My fellow brethren. This is my only wish. I have lived seventy years of my life for this wish, am living my life for this wish, and will live my life only to fulfil this wish.
Recently, some of our brothers have said that they wanted our nation to be a part of a federation of another country. I don't believe this, and if there is really someone who does, I can only say that he is crazy and has lost his mind. I've studied the ideas of Confucius, Buddha, and Jesus; I respect them as saints, but even if there's a heaven made by them, it's not a nation created by our nation, and I will never take our nation there. It is because, a nation which shared blood and history is clear, and just like my body can't be another's, the reason that a certain nation can't become another is the same as brothers living in the same house. If two gather and become one, one would be higher and the other lower, so it becomes a basic problem that one orders from above, and the other obeys from below. And so-called leftists deny the motherland of blood, and say this and that about the so-called motherland of ideology, ignoring brothers of blood-ties, and claims the so-called comrade of ideology and international class of proletariat, and speak as if nationalism is outside the truth.
This is foolish thinking. Philosophies change and theories of politics and economics are only a snap, but a nation's success is everlasting.
I want our nation to be the most beautiful in the world. By this, I do not mean the most powerful nation. Because I have felt the pain of being invaded by another nation, I do not want my nation to invade others. It is sufficient that our wealth makes our lives abundant; it is sufficient that our strength is able to prevent foreign invasions. The only thing that I desire in infinite quantity is the power of a noble culture. This is because the power of culture both makes ourselves happy and gives happiness to others.
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