Carrying Forward the Founding Philosophy of a "National Enterprise"
That Supported Independence Activists Including Poet Lee Yuksa
This Taegeukgi wrapping is part of the "Love the Nation, Hang the Taegeukgi Campaign" led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. It was planned both to honor the patriotism of independence activists and to share the joy of that historic day with the entire nation.
The wrapping, measuring 31 meters wide and 31 meters high, has been installed across eight floors, from the 5th to the 12th floor of the Kyobo Life Insurance Building in Gwanghwamun. It will be on display until August 17.
The Taegeukgi displayed by Kyobo Life Insurance is the same Namsangnak Embroidered Taegeukgi that was showcased on the building’s exterior in 2019 for the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Movement. Independence activist Namsangnak made this flag in 1919 for use in the 4·4 Manse Movement in Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do. It is said that his wife, Koo Hongwon, embroidered the flag by hand on silk that she wove herself using a traditional household method. Recognized for its rarity and historical value, the flag was designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 386 in 2008.
The "Nam Sangrak Embroidered Taegukgi," symbolizing the spirit of the independence movement, is displayed on the exterior wall of Kyobo Life Insurance headquarters in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. Kyobo Life Insurance
When Kyobo Life Insurance first hung the Namsangnak Embroidered Taegeukgi on the exterior wall of its Gwanghwamun headquarters in March 2019, some citizens misunderstood it as a "misdrawn Taegeukgi" because the four trigrams (Geon, Gon, Gam, Ri) differed from those on the current national flag. This was because the flag was made before the Taegeukgi was standardized in 1949, and the positions of the "Gam" and "Ri" trigrams were different. However, once it became known that this Taegeukgi was a historical artifact created during the independence movement, it drew significant public attention.
At the bottom of the Namsangnak Taegeukgi, Kyobo Life Insurance included a message commemorating the 80th anniversary of Liberation: "80 Years Since Regaining the Light. The Courage of That Day, the Pride of Today. Kyobo Life Insurance Remembers and Stands Together."
The reason Kyobo Life Insurance continues such campaigns is that the foundation of its corporate philosophy is rooted in the spirit of independence activists. The founder of Kyobo Life Insurance, Shin Yongho (Daesan), his father Shin Yebeom, and his eldest brother Shin Yongguk all dedicated themselves to the independence movement. A well-known story is that Shin Yongho, through the introduction of his relative and independence thinker Shin Gapbeom, supported independence funds while interacting with Lee Yuksa, a renowned poet and independence activist representing anti-Japanese literature. At the time, Lee Yuksa encouraged Shin Yongho by saying, "I hope you become a great entrepreneur and a national capitalist who saves our impoverished compatriots." This encouragement later became the spiritual foundation for the establishment of Kyobo Life Insurance.
A Kyobo Life Insurance representative stated, "On the 80th anniversary of Liberation, we aim to remember the noble sacrifices and dedication of independence activists and to grow together with the people as a national enterprise."
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