The Shilla Kingdom called itself the Mugunghwa Country, and even the ancient Chinese referred to Korea as "The land of gentlemen where Mugunghwa blooms.
" Love for the flower was further heightened when Mugunghwa samcheolli hwaryeo gangsan" ("Rose of Sharon, thousand miles of beautiful mountain and river land!")
was written into the national anthem of the late 19th century.
As the rose of Sharon has been an important part of the Korean culture for centuries,
it was only natural that the government adopted it as the national flower
after Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule.