The National Seal of the South Korea () is a governmental seal used for purposes of state in South Korea. The seal is carved with characters called injang.
Since the late 20th century, the seal's design consists of South Korea's official name written in hangeul inside of a square; during the mid-20th century hanja in Seal Script were used.
Following the establishment of the South Korean state in August 1948, its government adopted on 5 May 1949 a new state seal, or guksae (). It is used in promulgation of constitutions, designation of cabinet members and ambassadors, conference of national orders and important diplomatic documents.
The seal's design has been modified multiple times over the years. The first version of the seal, used until the early 1960s, used Hanja characters , it was made of silver, and topped by a sapsali for knob. Later, the lettering was changed to use only Hangeul characters, and the knob was redesigned as turtle. The third seal the knob was designed as two phoenixes and a hibiscus syriacus, and made of gold. The fourth seal featured phoenix only for knob. The fifth seal again featured two phoenixes and a hibiscus syriacus at the top.
The current seal is the fifth version and was designed in September 2011, being adopted in October 2011.
A guksae (êµÂìÂÂ) or oksae (ìÂ¥ìÂÂ) is an official seal made for use in lieu of signatures in personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, art, or any item requiring acknowledgment or authorship in South Korea. Guksae is carved with characters called injang. With the establishment of the South Korean state in 1948, its government created a new state seal, or guksae (êµÂìÂÂ, Ã¥ÂÂç½). It is used in promulgation of constitution, designation of cabinet members and ambassadors, conference of national orders and important diplomatic documents.
In the past guksae was called oksae which was used as a symbol of the legitimacy of the king and the country. The term guksae began to be used during the reign of Gongmin from the Goryeo Dynasty (reigned 1351-1374). During the Joseon Dynasty (1397-1910), oksae was used as a symbol of royal authority and to authenticate official documents. Whenever a king ascends the throne, the handing over of oksae is a formal event that symbolizes the transfer of power. During the ceremonial procession, oksae are placed in the place of the procession to symbolize the power of the king.
Other officials also have their own seals, including the president, prime minister, and ministers.