Flag of North Korea
Proportion | 1:2 |
---|---|
Adopted | 10 July 1948 8 September 1948 (official) | (introduced)
Design | A wide red stripe at the centre, bordered by a narrow white stripe both above and below, followed by a blue stripe. The central red stripe carries a five-pointed red star within a white circle near the hoist. |
Designed by | Kim Il Sung (North Korean official claim), Kim Tu-bong |
Flag of North Korea | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 람홍색공화국기(발) |
---|---|
Hancha | 藍紅色共和國旗(발) |
Revised Romanization | lamhongsaek gonghwagukgi(bal) |
McCune–Reischauer | lamhongsaek konghwagukki(ppal) |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 홍람오각별기 |
Hancha | |
Revised Romanization | hongramogakbyeolgi |
McCune–Reischauer | hongramogakpyŏlgi |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 인공기 (인민공화국기) |
Hancha | 人共旗 (人民共和國旗) |
Revised Romanization | in-gonggi (inmingonghwagukgi) |
McCune–Reischauer | in'gonggi (inmin'gonghwagukki) |
The national flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, also known as the Ramhongsaek Konghwagukgi (Korean: 람홍색공화국기; literally "blue and red-coloured flag of the republic"), consists of a central red panel, bordered both above and below by a narrow white stripe and a broad blue stripe.[1] The central red panel bears a five-pointed red star within a white circle near the hoist.[2]
The flag is strictly prohibited under the National Security Act in South Korea due to its association with the ruling North Korean regime, and it is only allowed in extremely exceptional cases such as media coverage, drama and film, and international sports events.[3][4]
Design
The North Korean national flag is officially defined in article 170 of Chapter VII of the
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.[2]
Symbolism
The North Korean flag's prominent motif is a red star, which is a universal symbol of communism and socialism.[5] Despite many changes to the country's constitution and legal documents, including systemic removal of references to communism in favor of Juche,[6] the constitution is still stated to be socialist in nature[2] and the description of the flag has always remained the same.[7]
The website of the Korean Friendship Association indicates that, on the contrary, the red star represents revolutionary traditions and the red panel is indicative of the patriotism and determination of the Korean people. The white stripes symbolize the unity of the Korean nation and its culture. The blue stripes represent the desire to fight for independence, peace, friendship, and international unity.[5][8]
According to a typical North Korean official text published in Rodong Sinmun,[9] Kim Il Sung gave the following significance to the flag's elements:
The red of the flag symbolises anti-Japanese sentiment, and is the colour of blood shed by the Korean patriots and the invincible might of our people firmly united to support the Republic. The white symbolizes one bloodline, one land, one language, one culture of our monoethnic country, which lived in purity. And blue stands for the gallant visage of our people and symbolises the spirit of the Korean people fighting for world peace and progress.[9]
The colours of the North Korean flag – red, white, and blue – are considered national colours and symbolise respectively: revolutionary traditions; purity, strength, and dignity; and sovereignty, peace, and friendship.[10]
Treatment
According to Korea expert and scholar
History
Background
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Korean Peninsula was ruled by a monarchy known as the
In 1945, World War II ended with an Allied victory and Japan was defeated. Per Allied terms, Japan relinquished its control over the Korean Peninsula, with the Soviet Union occupying the northern half of Korea and the U.S. occupying the southern half of it.[9]
Between 1946 and 1948, North and South Korea used very similar flags, with the Taegukgi design.[9]
Inception
In 1947 the Soviets communicated via Major General
The design of the flag was disclosed, along with a draft constitution, on 1 May 1948.
Use in propaganda
A 270-kilogram (600 lb) North Korean national flag flies from a tall flagpole, which is located at Kijŏng-dong, on the North Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line within the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The flag-pole is 160 meters (520 feet) tall.[14]
Historical and other flags
There are several other known flags to be in use in North Korea by its regime. There are flags for the
-
Park Yeong-hyo(September 1882)
-
Japanese Koreaused during the Japanese rule of Korea (1910-1945).
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The flag of the People's Republic of Korea from August 1945 to February 1946.
-
The flag of the Soviet Union used during the Soviet occupation of the northern part of Korea from October 1945 to September 1948.
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Provisional People's Committee for North Korea(February 1946 – July 1948)
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The flag of the Workers' Party of Korea
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The proper way to display the Korean Workers' Party flag vertically
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The personal standard of theKPA Supreme Commander(2002-2020)
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The flag of the North Korean armed forces (1992–1993)
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The flag of the North Korean army (1993–2023)
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The flag of the North Korean army (2023–present)
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The flag of the North Korean navy (1993–2023)
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The flag of the North Korean navy (2023-present)
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The North Korean guards ensign
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The North Korean naval ensign
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The flag of theNorth Korean air force(1993–2023)
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The flag of theNorth Korean air force(2023-present)
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The Unification Flag of North and South Korea
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Flag used by the Committee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces under South Korean administration
See also
- List of North Korean flags
- Korean Unification Flag
- Flag of South Korea
- Order of the National Flag
- Flag of Costa Rica (normal arrangement)
References
- ^ 北朝鮮国旗や国旗デザイン関連グッズ販売は違法? 英国旗との共通点. KoreaWorldTimes (in Japanese). 28 October 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-9946-0-1099-1. Amended and supplemented on April 1, Juche 102 (2013), at the Seventh Session of the Twelfth Supreme People's Assembly.
- ^ Rutherford, Peter (12 September 2014). "Seoul reminds citizens of North Korea flag ban". Reuters. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "South Korea Makes Olympic Exception for North Korean Flag". aroundtherings.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b "North Korean Flag". Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ "DPRK has quietly amended its Constitution". Leonid Petrov's KOREA VISION. 11 October 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ Tertitskiy 2016, p. 270.
- ^ "Flag and emblem". Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Tertitskiy, Fyodor (20 June 2014). "Kim Tu Bong and the Flag of Great Extremes". Daily NK. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Korea, North". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ Myers, Brian Reynolds (7 February 2018). "On the February 8 Parade and the Olympics". Sthele Press. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
By forbearing to march behind the yin-yang flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, the South Korean athletes are making a bigger sacrifice than the North Koreans, in whose iconography the banner of the DPRK ranks lower than the party standard, which in turn ranks much lower than the Supreme Commander's standard, the flag of the personality cult — something to which the North Korean athletes may end up paying homage anyway by wearing their leader badges.
- ^ Jeffries, Ian. North Korea: A Guide to Economic and Political Developments.
- OCLC 228608.
- Salon.
- ^ a b Kariyasu, Nozomi (2011). "The History of Taegeuk Flags" (PDF). In Takano, Miru; Harden, Zachary (eds.). Official Proceedings: The Twenty-Third International Congress of Vexillology. Tokyo: Japanese Vexillological Association.
Works cited
- Tertitskiy, Fyodor (August 2016). "Star and Stripes: History of the North Korean Flag and its Place in State Ideology". Journal of Contemporary Korean Studies. 3 (1–2): 265–284. OCLC 6848975723.
Further reading
- Thomas, Dean (2014). "Flags and Emblems of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea". Raven: A Journal of Vexillology. 21: 95–115. ISSN 1071-0043.
External links
- Media related to National flag of North Korea at Wikimedia Commons
- Quotations related to Flag of North Korea at Wikiquote
- North Korea at Flags of the World