The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag (, ) is the pledge to the
national flag
A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...
of
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. The pledge is recited at flag ceremonies immediately before the
South Korean national anthem.
History
The current pledge was introduced on July 27, 2007. A previous pledge of allegiance was used from 1972 until 2007 and was introduced by then-president
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...
. Unlike the current pledge which pledges allegiance to the state of South Korea, the 1972 pledge rather pledged allegiance to the "
Korean race
Korean ethnic nationalism, or Korean racial nationalism, is a racial, chauvinist and ethnosupremacist political ideology and a form of ethnic and racial identity that is widely prevalent by the Korean people in Korea, particularly in South Ko ...
," also known as the ''minjok''.
In the mid-2000s, the pledging of allegiance to a "Korean race" (or "Korean ethnicity") was criticized by some people, specifically for being
racist
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
and "not appropriate at a time when South Korea is becoming a multiracial and multicultural society."
This version of the pledge was discontinued in July 2007, during the presidency of
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008.
Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...
,
and replaced with different wording. Some right-wing South Koreans condemned the rewording of the country's pledge of allegiance, as it went against their ideology.
Similarly, until April 2011, the South Korean army's soldiers swore allegiance to the "Korean race" in their oaths of enlistment until that, too, was discontinued for similar reasons.
[
]
Text of the pledge
1972 version
Korean-language version
Korean-language transliteration
.
English translation
I strongly pledge, in front of the proud Korean flag, allegiance to my fatherland, to devote my body and soul to the eternal glory of the race.[
]
Alternate English translation (with notations)
I firmly pledge, proudly in front of the Korean flag 'Taegukgi'' to loyally devote our body and soul to the eternal glory of the fatherland 'joguk''and the race minjok''">wiktionary:민족.html" ;"title="'wiktionary:민족">minjok''[
]
Literal English translation
I am firmly committed to fulfilling my allegiance by offering my body and mind for the endless glory of my fatherland and race before the proud Korean flag.
2007 version
Korean-language version (official version)
Korean-language transliteration
.
Official English-language translation
I pledge, in front of proud Taegeuk flag, allegiance to the Republic of Korea for the eternal glory of the country, liberty and freedom to the Republic of Korea.
Alternate English-language translation
I, standing before the noble Taegeuk flag, solemnly pledge allegiance to the Republic of Korea, to its glory, liberty and justice.
Literal English translation
I am firmly committed to my loyalty to the endless glory of the Republic of Korea that is free and just in front of a proud Taegeuk flag.
See also
*Flag of South Korea
*Korean ethnic nationalism
*Oath of allegiance
References
External links
*
*{{Wikiquote-inline, Racism in South Korea
Flags of South Korea
South Korean culture
Korean nationalism
National symbols of South Korea
Oaths of allegiance
1972 documents
2007 documents