National seals of South Korea

National Seal of the Republic of Korea
대한민국의 국새
Armiger South Korea
Adopted25 October 2011; 15 years ago (2011-10-25)
Motto대한민국
(Republic of Korea)

The National Seal of South Korea (Korean: 대한민국의 국새; Hanja: 大韓民國의 國璽; RR: Daehanmin-gugui guksae; MR: Taehanmin'gugŭi kuksae) is a governmental seal used for purposes of state in South Korea. The seal is carved with characters called injang.

Since the late 20th century, the seal's design consists of South Korea's official name written in hangeul inside of a square; during the mid-20th century hanja in Seal Script were used.

History

Following the establishment of the South Korean state in August 1948, its government adopted on 5 May 1949 a new state seal, or guksae (Korean: 국새). It is used in promulgation of the constitution, designation of cabinet members and ambassadors, conference of national orders and important diplomatic documents.

The seal's design has been modified multiple times over the years. The first version of the seal, used until the early 1960s, used Hanja characters 大韓民國之璽. It was made of silver, while the design of the seal knob is disputed, being either a dragon, or a sapsali. Later, the lettering was changed to use only Hangeul characters, and the knob was redesigned as turtle. For the third seal, the knob was designed as two phoenixes and a hibiscus syriacus, and made of gold. The fourth seal featured a phoenix only for the knob. The fifth seal again featured two phoenixes and a hibiscus syriacus at the top.

The current seal is the fifth version and was designed in September 2011, being adopted in October 2011.

Guksae

A guksae (국새) or oksae (옥새) is an official seal made for use in lieu of signatures in personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, art, or any item requiring acknowledgment or authorship in South Korea. Guksae is carved with characters called injang.

In the past, guksae were called oksae, and were used as a symbol of the legitimacy of the king and the country. The term guksae began to be used during the reign of Gongmin from the Goryeo Dynasty (reigned 1351-1374). During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), oksae was used as a symbol of royal authority and to authenticate official documents. Whenever a king ascends the throne, the handing over of oksae is a formal event that symbolizes the transfer of power. During the ceremonial procession, oksae are placed in the place of the procession to symbolize the power of the king.

Other seals

Other officials also have their own seals, including the president, prime minister, and ministers.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Korean: 대한민국지새; RR: Daehanmingukjisae

References

  1. 1 2 Cheon, Jingi (Summer 2008). "Guksae (State Seal) Consummate Work of Korea's Master Craftsmen" (PDF). Koreana. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "Pembuatan Segel Nasional Korea Selatan yang baru" [The Making of a new South Korea National Seal] (in Indonesian). KBS World (Indonesian TV channel). 14 February 2006. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 National Symbols of the Republic of Korea: Uniting People and Elevating National Pride. Seoul: Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Korea. 2017. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "국가상징" (in Korean). Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Korea. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  5. ↑ "행정안전부".
  6. ↑ "3대 국새 둘러보기" (in Korean). National Archives of Korea. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  7. ↑ "'대한민국 국새' 경남 산청서 시험 날인" (in Korean). KBS. 2007-12-03. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  8. 1 2 Cheon, Jingi (Summer 2008). "Guksae (State Seal) Consummate Work of Korea's Master Craftsmen" (PDF). Koreana. 22.
  9. ↑ (in Indonesian)Pembuatan Segel Nasional Korea Selatan yang baru Archived 2012-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, kbs. Diakses pada 2 Juni 2010.