North Korea Flag: Design
Chapter VII, Article 170 of the Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea reads:
“The national flag of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea consists of a central red panel, bordered both above and below by a narrow white stripe and a broad blue stripe. The central red panel bears a five-pointed red star within a white circle near the hoist. The ratio of the width to the length is 1:2”
The most obvious symbol sits at the heart of the North Korea Flag. The red star is an international symbol of communism and socialism.
Since it’s foundation in 1948 when the flag was introduced, the country has moved away from communism. The ideology has been gradually replaced with a type of Juche-orientated socialism.
The red star on the flag remains a symbol of the country’s socialist ideology.
The red bar at the centre of the flag represents patriotism and determination, particularly against the Japanese who occupied Korea between 1910 and 1945.
Red is commonly used to represent communism and socialism; featuring heavily on the flags of China, the Soviet Union and Vietnam.
The blue bars are said to represent the spirit of the Korean people in their fight for progress and a more peaceful world.
The white bars which separate the blue from red and symbolic of the monolithic nature of the Korean people. The unity of blood, language, culture and history.
The vertical display of the North Korea flag has been theorised to be a stylistic depiction of the Korean Peninsula.
The blue on each side would represent the East Sea and West Sea. The red star could be indicative of socialism ‘illuminating the country’ or acting as a ‘guiding light’.
The red star could also be representative of Pyongyang.
North Korea Flag: History
The North Korea Flag was first adopted on the 8th of September, 1948; a day before the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea itself.
The flag broke with a long tradition on the Korean peninsula which has historically included a Taeguk into its flags; at least since Joseon/Choson Dynasty.
Today, a version of the Taeguk flag (or Taegukgi), is the national flag of South Korea; however, it was decided in 1945 that a new flag should be adopted to represent the new, modern ideals of a socialist country.
On the 10 July 1948, the new flag design was ratified by the People’s Assembly of North Korea (1947-1948). This flag would later be adopted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea later that year.
The only change to the flag would occur in 1992. This redesign saw a slight enlargement of the red star and white circle. The rest of the flag remained unchanged.
Despite the modern prevalence of the North Korea Flag, this variant is not the only flag to have flown over Northern Korea since the end of the Second World War.
People’s Republic of Korea Flag (1945 – 1946)
After the defeat of the Japanese in 1945, a very brief socialist government was declared in Korea.
13 days after the surrender of Japan on the 15th of August, referred to today as ‘Liberation Day’ in the north, the Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence (CPKI) announced that it intended to form a government to ease the transition from Japanese rule to Korean independence.
In Seoul, on 12 September 1945, the People’s Republic of Korea (PRK) was officially founded.
A new flag was designed for this brand new country.
The new flag depicted a Taeguk on a white background with three red stripes behind it.
These three bars represent politics, the economy and culture.
The red and blue in the Taeguk represent work and passion, and science and intellect respectively.
Before the declaration, the CPKI began organising local People’s Committees, many of which greeted the arriving soviet troops as they marched into Pyongyang on 24 August 1945.
In South Korea, these committees were ignored by the US who were keen to take full control of the country since the CPKI and the PRK were seen as the potential start for a dangerous communist government in Korea.
In the North, the USSR worked with the People’s Committees, later becoming a constituent part of the socialist government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).
On 12 December 1945, the US outlawed the PRK in the South.
Soviet Civil Administration Flag (1945 – 1948)
Upon the division of Korea in 1945, the United States occupied the southern half of the country whilst the Soviet Union occupied the North.
Between 1945 and 1948, the newly liberated territory was governed by the ‘Soviet Civil Administration’.
Immediately after the Second World War, North Korea was effectively run from Moscow the Soviet Union and used the flag of the USSR’s Hammer and Sickle Flag to represent its government.
After the formation of the DPRK in 1948, Pyongyang ceased any official use of the Soviet flag.
(Provisional) People’s Committee for North Korea Flag (1946 – 1948)
In 1946, the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea was established, later to be replace by the People’s Committee for North Korea.
This provisional government ran concurrently alongside the Soviet Civil Administration and flew both the USSR flag as well as a modern version of the Taeguk flag.
This version of the Taeguk flag was almost identical to that used by the US Army Military Government occupation in the south of Korea, although the Palgwae (trigrams surrounding the Taeguk) were different in style.
Following the introduction of the national flag of North Korea in 1948 and the dissolution of the PCNK, the Taeguk flag was officially retired from official use.
Other National North Korea Flags
Korean Unification Flag
The Unification Flag, or Reunification Flag, has quasi-official status in both South and North Korea.
The flag depicts a light-blue silhouette of the Korean Peninsula on a plain white background. The flag has been used in both countries as a symbol of unification and has regularly been used at sporting events when the two countries compete together as a unified team.
Most notably, the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang saw the unified Korean team compete under the Unification Flag.
North Korea Naval Ensign
Most countries have an official naval ensign for their merchant, and military vessels. In some countries these ensigns are distinct and well-known, in others less so.
The North Korea Ensign depicts classic DPRK imagery. The red background is bordered along the bottom by a dark-blue and white set of bars, emblematic of the sea.
In the centre of the flag is a concentric Red, White and Blue circle in the style of the national North Korea flag. Inside the circle is an image of Mt Paektu, the highest point on the Korean Peninsula and a very culturally important place for all Koreans. It appears regularly in DPRK symbols and emblems for this reason.
Behind Mt Paektu are yellow rays of sunlight and above it, a red star to represent socialism, similar to that in the national North Korea Flag.
North Korea Naval Jack
Alongside the ensign, the official Naval Jack of the Korean People’s Army Naval Forces is the same as the ensign, but with the red star from the North Korea National Flag rather than the Paektu Emblem.
“Guard Badge” Flag
Warships and vessels of the Korean People’s Army Naval Forces may fly a similar ensign, but with the ‘Guard Badge’ along with the Paektu emblem.