It substitutes the black and white color scheme often seen in most taijitu illustrations with blue and red, respectively, along with a horizontal separator, as opposed to vertical.

[9][10] In the compound of Gameunsa, a temple built in AD 628 during the reign of King Jinpyeong of Silla, a stone object, perhaps the foundation of a pagoda, is carved with the taegeuk design.

[14] The taegeuk is a Taoist icon which symbolizes cosmic balance, and represents the constant interaction between the yin and yang, also known as eum/yang (Korean: 음양; Hanja: 陰陽).

[19][7][18] A variant in South Korea is the tricolored taegeuk (sam·saeg·ui tae·geuk 삼색의 태극 or sam·tae·geuk 삼태극), which adds a yellow lobe or pa (파; 巴).

[22][23] The current Paralympic symbol has morphed the teardrop-shaped pa into more of a swoosh, but still employs three such colour swatches, one each of red, blue, and green.

The logo for the Miss Asia Pacific World Beauty Pageant, which began in Seoul, South Korea in 2011, is another example of the tricolored taegeuk symbol.

The Government of South Korea unveiled new uniform visual identity for governmental institutions on 15 March 2016, it uses a stylized blue pa with a red arch, representing the country's history and traditions and its vision for the future.