South Korea unveiled a unified emblem for its government Tuesday in an effort to save costs and help people easily recognize government organizations.

A dynamic, open-ended "taegeuk" mark will be used as the new government symbol, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.

The new design is based on the taegeuk, a symbol that is most prominently displayed on the country's national flag.

South Korean government ministries and state-run agencies have been using different symbols to represent themselves on official documents, flags, signboards and other places since 1997. Before that, they commonly used a mark with the rose of Sharon, the country's national flower, to symbolize the government.

"We expect the unified government emblem to bring many positive effects such as helping the people easily recognize government agencies and facilitating communication among government offices as well as saving costs," the ministry said in a release.

In the new taegeuk design, blue represents life, red dynamism and white light. It embodies South Korea as a dynamic country that is striving for its people, the world and the future, the ministry explained.

It took a year for the ministry to develop the new government symbol through public surveys, consultations with experts and relevant government offices.

The new emblem will be able to come into use as early as in May after undergoing due government procedures, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)