The emblem of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul is built around the samtaegeuk, a traditional Korean decorative motif that combines three comma-shaped forms into a circle. The Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee (SLOOC) selected the design by Professor Yang Sung-Chun of Seoul National University in June 1983 as the Games emblem. The final emblem pairs the samtaegeuk pattern with the five Olympic rings and the lettering “Seoul 1988” in either Latin or Korean characters. [1]
Yang Sung-Chun, a first-generation corporate identity designer in South Korea, created the official emblem along with roughly 300 other graphic works for the Games. He died in June 2017 at age 77. [2] The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a poster based on the official emblem and credits the design to Professor Yang Sung-Chun. [3]
Design and History
The samtaegeuk motif is widely used in Korea as decoration on fans, gates of traditional Korean homes, artifacts, and folk crafts. [4] The emblem’s design unites both centripetal and centrifugal forces within the pattern. [1]
According to the official description issued by the Korean Ministry of Communications for the commemorative stamp series, the samtaegeuk represents “gathering” and “diffusing”: the centripetal movement symbolizes the gathering of the world’s athletes in Seoul for peaceful competition, while the centrifugal movement symbolizes the diffusion of the spirit of peaceful competition throughout the world. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The samtaegeuk combines three large commas into a circle representing the harmony of heaven, man, and earth. [5] The pattern is a traditional Korean visual image that represents Korea. [4]
The Seoul 1988 Games adopted “Harmony and Progress” as their motto. [5] The emblem’s centripetal motion was described as representing the people of the world coming together in Korea, symbolizing worldwide harmony. [6]
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