Pledge of Allegiance (South Korea)



The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag (, lit. '"Oath facing the national flag"') is the pledge to the national flag of South Korea. 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.

Korean-language transliteration
Naneun jalangseuleon taegeuggi ap-e joguggwa minjog-ui mugunghan yeong-gwang-eul wihayeo momgwa ma-eum-eul bachyeo chungseong-eul dahal geos-eul gudge dajimhabnida.

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].

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.

Korean-language transliteration
Naneun jarangseureoun Taegeukgi ape jayuropgo jeoneuiroun Daehanmingug ae mugunghan yeonggwangeul wihayeo chungseongeul dahal geoseul gutge dajimhamnida.

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 great Korean nation that is free and just in front of a proud Taegeuk flag.

Controversy
Unlike the current pledge which pledges allegiance to the state of South Korea, the 1972 pledge rather pledged allegiance to the "Korean race," 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 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, and replaced with different, non-racialist wording. Some left-wing South Koreans condemned the rewording of the country's pledge of allegiance, as it went against their racialist 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.