The ''Sujagi'' is a

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

with a Hanja(帥), pronounced ''su'' in Korean, that denotes a commanding general. The whole term literally means, "Commanding general flag". Only one ''sujagi'' is known to exist in Korea. The color is a faded yellowish-brown background with a black character in its center. It is made of

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

cloth and measures approximately 4.15m x 4.35m. Sujagi

History

This type of flag was put in a fortress where a commanding general was located. In the case of the extant ''sujagi'' in Korea, it represented General Eo Jae-yeon who, in 1871, commanded the Korean military forces on Ganghwa Island, which is off the northwest coast of present-day South Korea, near the capital of Seoul. It was captured by the United States Asiatic Squadron in June of that year during the United States' expedition to Korea. As with other war prizes, it was put into the collection of the museum at the United States Naval Academy in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, Maryland. In October 2007, after many years of petitions by South Korea to the United States government, the flag was returned to South Korea on a long-term, ten-year loan. After being returned, it was displayed at the

National Palace Museum of Korea The National Palace Museum of Korea is a national museum of South Korea located in Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul. History The museum first began as the "Korean Imperial Museum", which was established in September 1908 and was originally located ...

in Seoul until 2009, when it was moved to the Ganghwa History Museum on Ganghwa Island. As of September 2022, the lease had been renewed for the flag to stay in South Korea until at least October 2023.

History

References

Notes

See also

External links