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:'Aegukga' ''is also the name of the national anthem of North Korea, although it is romanized differently. See Aegukka.''
'Aegukga' is the national anthem of South Korea, though it is not legally recognized as such. The title literally means "The Song of Love for the Country," or "The Patriotic Song."
It is believed that the lyrics were written at the time of the corner stone ceremony of the Independence Gate in Seoul in 1896 by Yun Chiho, a politician, or by An Chang-ho, a pro-independence leader and educator. Initially, ''Aegukga'' was sung to the Scottish folk tune "Auld Lang Syne" that American missionaries had taught. The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (1919-1945) in Shanghai, China adopted it as their national anthem. At a ceremony celebrating the founding of South Korea on 15 August 1948, exactly three years after liberation from Japanese rule, the Scottish tune was finally replaced by the Finale of Korea Fantasia that Ahn Eak-tae had composed in 1935. The new "Aegukga" was later adopted under the Presidential Decree of 1948 by the then President Syngman Rhee (or Lee Seungman).
The anthem has four verses (with chorus), but only the first verse and chorus are usually sung. This is similar to the Star-Spangled Banner, national anthem of the United States of America.

Contents

Lyrics

Copyright issues

References

See also

External links

Lyrics

	Hangul	Hangul and hanja	Revised Romanization	English translation
1	동해 물과 백두산이 마르고 닳도록 하느님이 보우하사 우리나라 만세	東海 물과 白頭山이 마르고 닳도록 하느님이 保佑하사 우리나라 萬歲	Donghae mulgwa Baekdusani mareugo daltorok Haneunimi bouhasa urinara manse	Until the day when the East Sea's waters and Mt. Baekdu are dry and worn away, God shall protect and preserve us. May our nation live through eternity!
2	남산 위에 저 소나무 철갑을 두른 듯 바람서리 불변함은 우리 기상일세	南山 위에 저 소나무 鐵甲을 두른 듯 바람서리 不變함은 우리 氣像일세	Namsan wie jeo sonamu cheolgabeul dureun deut Baram seori bulbyeonhameun uri gisangilse	The pinetree atop Namsan stands firmly unchanged under wind and frost as if wrapped in armour, as is our resilient spirit.
3	가을 하늘 공활한데 높고 구름 없이 밝은 달은 우리 가슴 일편단심일세	가을 하늘 空豁한데 높고 구름 없이 밝은 달은 우리 가슴 一片丹心일세	Ga-eul haneul gonghwalhande nopgo gureum eopsi Balgeun dareun uri gaseum ilpyeondansimilse	Autumn sky is void and vast, high and cloudless, the bright moon is our heart, undivided and true.
4	이 기상과 이 맘으로 충성을 다하여 괴로우나 즐거우나 나라 사랑하세	이 氣像과 이 맘으로 忠誠을 다하여 괴로우나 즐거우나 나라 사랑하세	I gisanggwa i mameuro chungseong-eul dahayeo Goerouna jeulgeouna nara saranghase	With this spirit and this mind, give all loyalty, in suffering or in joy, love the country.
Refrain	무궁화 삼천리 화려강산 대한사람 대한으로 길이 보전하세	無窮花 三千里 華麗江山 大韓사람 大韓으로 길이 保全하세	Mugunghwa samcheolli hwaryeogangsan Daehansaram daehaneuro giri bojeonhase	Three thousand ''Li'' of splendid rivers and mountains, filled with Roses of Sharon; Great Korean People, let us everlastingly preserve our Great Korean nation.

Copyright issues

Since the composer Ahn Eak-tae died in 1965, the copyright for the music will not expire at least until 2015. Two Korean professional soccer teams were sued by a copyrightholders' group for public playing of this song in December 2003.^[1] The composer's widow Lolita Ahn and her family then relinquished all rights to ''Aegukga'' to the Korean government on 16 March 2005.^[2] The lyrics, written in the 19th century, are in the public domain.

References

1. The 2003 copyright infringement lawsuit against two soccer teams
2. Composer Ahn's family grants nation copyright over national anthem (Korea.Net)

See also

★ List of Korea-related topics

External links

★ MP3 애국가 1~4절 (중,고,대학부용)

★ South Korean government Office of the President article

★ South Korean government Office of the Prime Minister article

★ A history of ''Aegukga'' written by the South Korean government (also includes vocal performances and the sheet music)