Flag of Menghe
 | |
| Name | Suksŏnggi "Suk Star Flag" |
|---|---|
| Use | Civil and state flag, civil and state ensign |
| Proportion | 3:5 |
| Adopted | 17 May 1988 |
| Design | A golden Suk Star emblem on a sky blue background. |
| Designed by | Cho Sang-chŏl |
The Flag of Menghe (Menghean: 대멩 국기 / 大孟國旗, Dae Meng Gukgi), better known domestically as the Suksŏnggi (숙성기 / 肅星旗) or Suk Star Flag, consists of a golden Ohaeng pentagram ("Suk star") centered on a sky-blue background. The star symbolizes culture and harmony, the gold symbolizes the guidance of the State and Party, and the blue symbolizes the virtue and purity of a cloudless sky. It was adopted as the official flag of the Socialist Republic of Menghe on 17 May 1988, replacing the interim Army flag used in late 1987 and early 1988, and given official recognition in Article 135 of the 1990 Constitution.
Origin of the current flag
After the Decembrist Revolution, the newly formed Interim Council for National Restoration ordered official buildings to cease flying the flag of the DPRM, to signal the new government's break with the old regime. As a temporary measure, government buildings and diplomatic representatives used the flag of the Menghean Armed Forces, which had orchestrated the coup of December 21st. This was originally an improvised response, as the new government lacked another flag to fly when the first foreign diplomats arrived in late December, but by early 1988 the Army flag had semi-official status.
Major Baek Gwang-hyun, the original de jure leader of the Interim Council, favored returning to the red-and-green flag of the DPRM once a permanent government was restored. After Choe Sŭng-min displaced Baek as leader of the Council on March 1st, he ordered the composition of a new national flag based on more traditional imagery. A number of individuals had already drawn up their own independent proposals, but Choe selected the flag produced by Cho Sang-chŏl.
Cho's flag design drew on the traditional "Suk Star" (Suksŏng) motif, which had appeared before as a Menghean national symbol, most notably during the early stages of the Menghean War of Liberation when it was used by elements of the Eigth Army faction. This wartime version of the Suk Star Flag had a darker azure background and used a simple monochrome pentagram, without black lines representing edges. Choe Sŭng-min had also expressed support for the Suksŏng as a national symbol in his pseudonymous writings in the 1980s, and it is likely that Cho Sang-chŏl used this as his inspiration; at the height of Choe Sŭng-min's cult of personality, state media attributed the original flag idea to Choe, though today the official narrative is that Choe Sŭng-min provided the early concept and Cho Sang-chŏl produced the final design.
Cho Sang-chŏl's design was formally accepted on May 17th, one week before the Socialist Republic of Menghe would be formally established. The following day, it was printed in the Jungang Ilbo newspaper to announce its design to the public, and more detailed instructions regarding its layout were distributed to local governments. The Donggyŏng No. 7 Textiles Factory was assigned the task of producing the flags flown at the proclamation of the new government on May 25th, and it subsequently expanded its operations to assist with the production of flags for the rest of the country.
Article 135 of the Constitution of Menghe, as adopted in 1990, officially recognizes the Suk Star Flag as the official flag of Menghe, and prohibits the use of other flags (including the flag of the Menghean Armed Forces) to officially represent the modern-day Socialist Republic of Menghe. This Article does not contain any specific provisions on the coloration, dimensions, or proportions of the flag, instead referring to the Law on the National Flag.
Description
The characteristics of the Menghean flag are described in the Law on the National Flag, which was officially passed by the National Assembly on 7 July 1988. This version only specified the colors as "sky blue" and "gold."
The General-Directorate of Standards and Regulations, a sub-organ of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, published a more detailed set of standards in 1996, using standardized color-matching systems to specify the exact hues on the flag. This resulted in a slightly brighter coloration on the new official version. Although the background color remains "sky blue" in the constitution, the RGB color values assigned by the General-Directorate of Standards and Regulations actually correspond to the color Capri.
The flag is rectangular, and its dimensions follow a 3:5 ratio. The Suksŏng emblem is centered at the horizontal and vertical midpoints of the flag, and its diameter is related to the height of the flag in a 2:3 ratio. The points of the star are evenly spaced at 72-degree intervals. The outer ring's thickness is 1/10 of the circle's diameter, the inner bars' thicknesses are 1/20 of the circle's diameter, and the ring and bars are outlined in black with black lines running down the centers. The bars of the star are superimposed over the ring, and their points would extend slightly beyond the ring but are truncated at its outermost edge. The flag-making instructions require the presence of the black outlines, but the exact thickness of the lines is not formally specified beyond the requirement that they be as thin as possible while still creating adequate contrast.
| Color name | RGB | Hex triplet | HSV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | (255, 204, 51) | #FFCC33 | (45°, 80%, 100%) |
| Sky Blue | (0, 191, 255) | #00ACE5 | (194°, 100%, 90%) |
| Black | (0, 0, 0) | #000000 | (–°, –%, 0%) |
Symbolism
The five-pointed pentagram at the center of the Menghean flag is known in Menghe as the "Suk Star," a motif which which appeared on Menghean banners and palaces from the 11th century onward. It derives its name from the State of Suk, a minor kingdom which existed in the mountainous area today encompassed by Suksan Province, as it was in this area that the emblem was most widely used. The State of Suk holds a prominent place in Menghean national thought, as it escaped the effects of the Menghean Black Plague and reunited the country in the 16th century; for Choe Sŭng-min and his inner circle, it thus represented a metaphor for their own efforts to overcome famine and chaos and establish a new, more prosperous social order.
Traditionally, the five points on the Suk Star represent the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The outer circle connecting them represents the generating cycle, and the inner lines connecting them represent the overcoming cycle. In this way, it represents not only the five elements or forms of Gi that make up the world, but also the harmony and balance that ties them together. The Suk Star is mainly associated with Sindoism, though in Chŏndoism it later came to represent the natural and self-directing logic of the world under Heaven, and was also used to signify the Five Virtues. Five is also considered an auspicious number in Menghean culture more generally, and this has allowed the Menghean government to assign new layers of significance to the Suksŏng emblem.
The light-blue background of the flag represents purity and perfect virtue in the form of a cloudless sky, another motif associated with the State of Suk and with Chŏndoism more generally. The gold color of the Suksŏng emblem represents the state, and by traditional association the Emperor, who was traditionally associated with the color yellow. This color combination dates back at least as far as the Sŭng dynasty (9th century CE), and was certainly in use in the Yi dynasty, both of which used blue banners with yellow emblems or edging to represent military formations or announce the Emperor's presence.
Similar color symbolism appeared in the flag of the Federative Republic of Menghe, which had a central gold star to represent the federal government and an upper blue bar to represent heaven; the flag of the Greater Menghean Empire, which had a golden character Meng on an azure background; and the flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe, which omitted the blue stripe but retained a gold star representing the state and Party. The overall flag design is also reminiscent of the flag of the Menghean People's Army, but with the upper and lower bars removed and a different Suksŏng emblem.
Display and handling
Orientation
<imgur thumb="yes" w="150" comment="Example of a special vertically-hanging version of the Menghean flag.">RYkLIBU.png</imgur> As the Menghean flag exhibits horizontal symmetry, it can be flown from a flagpole, hung on a wall, or displayed on a vehicle "facing" in either direction, as long as the central point on the Suk Star is pointing upward. Hanging the flag upside down is considered disrespectful, and multiple dissidents have been arrested for inverting flags on display. Menghean maritime law does not recognize the upside-down flag as an official distress signal, as it is difficult for a distant observer to discern whether the star is upright.
If the Menghean flag is to be displayed hanging vertically, this must be done with a special vertically-hanging version of the flag, in which the Suk Star has been rotated 90 degrees so that its central point points upward. Vertically-hanging flags are not subject to any particular length-width ratio, and are routinely displayed in ratios greater than 1:2, sometimes as great as 1:10. Similar variation exists in the placement of the Suk Star, which must be centered horizontally and sized at 2/3 of the flag's width in diameter, but can have its center point anywhere between the center of the flag and one-half of one flag width from the top.
Raising the flag
During an official flag-raising ceremony, it is required that the first verse of the national anthem be played or sung as the flag is being hoisted, then finished while the flag is at the top of the pole. At this point, all citizens present must stand at attention, face the flag, and recite the Oath of Allegiance, the text of which is translated below:
nanŭn jarangsŭrŏun suksŏnggi ap-e jogukgwa inmin-e mugunghan yŏnggwang-ŭl wihayŏ momgwa maŭm-ŭl bachyŏ chungsŏng-ŭl da hal gŏsŭl gudge dajim habnida.
"I proudly stand in front of the Suk Star Flag and firmly pledge to loyally devote my body and mind to the eternal glory of the fatherland and its people."
During a flag-lowering ceremony, the procedure is reversed: all present first face the flag and recite the Oath of Allegiance, and it is then lowered while the national anthem plays. Either the first verse or the second verse can be used during this stage.
Display at half-staff
The Menghean flag can be flown at half-staff as a sign of national mourning, as long as the pole is long enough to allow more than the flag's height between the top of the flag and the top of the flagpole - a requirement which effectively exempts short or angled flag displays. Annual half-staff displays are required on the 2nd Monday in July (Memorial Day, in honor of military dead), November 9th (the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Haeju), and January 9th (Four Dark Centuries remembrance day). The Chairman of the Supreme Council can also announce a day or period of mourning at his discretion, in response to the death of a high-ranking government official or a national tragedy.
Public display
No regulation exists requiring that private individuals obtain government approval in order to fly the Menghean flag, or to reproduce it in design, art, or television, as long as its representation is not disrespectful. Use of the flag in advertising is forbidden, as is its use on napkins and disposable packaging, and this rule is enforced, albeit inconsistently.
Regulations on disrespectful representation of the flag in visual media are vaguely worded, leaving considerable leeway for censors to interpret the law in their favor when suppressing works of protest or satire. Multiple foreign movies and video games featuring the pentacle as a symbol of Satanism or dark magic have been denied access to the Menghean market on the grounds that they associate a Menghean national emblem with evil, though domestic media have bypassed this regulation by substituting a star with more than five points.
Menghean households and businesses are strongly encouraged to fly the national flag on patriotic public holidays, namely Liberation Day, Labor Day, National Day, Memorial Day, and Revolution Day, as opposed to traditional festivals. This policy is not currently written into law, as it was under the Greater Menghean Empire, but it may still be enforced informally; during the Disciplined Society Campaign, bands of Youth Vanguard members patrolled the streets to denounce any family which failed to fly the flag, and today the Youth Vanguard still distribute flags to households which do not have them.
Regional flags
Article 135.3 of the Menghean Constitution forbids provinces, prefectures, and other territorial units from designing and using their own regional flags. This policy originated under the Greater Menghean Empire and was revived by the DPRM. Its purpose was to combat regionalism, as the Greater Menghean Empire replaced the federal system with a centralized one, and it remained in place under the same logic. During the 2010s, some large city governments developed their own logos for promotion purposes, but they are forbidden by law from printing these on flags or referring to them as flags.
Other Menghean flags
Flag of the Federative Republic of Menghe (1900-1927)
Flag of the Greater Menghean Empire (1927-1945)
- Flag of the Republic of Menghe.pngFlag of the Republic of Menghe (1953-1964)
Flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe (1964-1987)
- Flag of the Menghean People's Army.pngFlag of the Menghean People's Army, used as the de facto flag of the Interim Council for National Restoration (1987-1988)
See also
- Let Morning Shine on These Mountains and Rivers (national anthem of Menghe)
- Oath of Allegiance (Menghe)