Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges

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Not to be confused with Order of Kim Il Sung or Order of Kim Jong Il.

A Kim Il Sung badge

Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges are lapel pins with portraits depicting either one or both of the Eternal Leaders of North Korea, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The badges have been common since the late 1960s, and are produced by the Mansudae Art Studio. There are more than 20 different designs, some of which are more common than others. Common examples include red flag-shaped pins depicting either Eternal President Kim Il Sung or Eternal General Secretary Kim Jong Il, smaller circular pins with the same portraits on white backgrounds (often with silver or gold edging), and larger flag-shaped pins depicting both leaders.

The badges were inspired by

North Korea's cult of personality.[2]
According to Jae-Cheon Lim, the badges are:

A Kim Jong Il badge

[a] formative symbol depicting the North Korean leaders. ... Wearing a leader badge is an identity symbol showing that North Koreans belong to their leader, thus distinguishing themselves from foreign citizens. Unlike other leader symbols, the badge is portable. ... Thus it is a symbol fulfilling the idea that the leaders are always with the people.[3]

History

North Korean flag
emblem on a jacket

The inspiration for the badges were

Kim Il Sung's cult of personality in general and the introduction of the badges in particular.[6]

Badges bearing the portrait of

his death to feature a smiling portrait.[9]

Badges bearing the portrait of

birthday, a pin with his face only reappeared. It, too, was unpopular due to his known reluctance to be elevated to the level of his father. Kim Jong Il badges began to be worn more widely only around the year 2000,[9] with a renewed design,[3] and badges featuring both Kims only recently.[9]

The round designs were the oldest types. The very first round design in 1953 featured Kim Il Sung's side profile in military uniform, much like their Chinese counterparts. Kim's face from the front began to be used in the 1980s. Rectangular badges appeared in the 1980s and were at first reserved for those working in state security organizations. The flag-shaped badges began to be made in the early 1980s. They featured a symbol related to a party, state, or youth organization. The one bearing the emblem of the Workers' Party became the most popular.[3]

After the

death of Kim Jong Il in December 2011, party officials started to wear the Kim Jong Il badge next to the Kim Il Sung one. Then, in April 2012, the double badge was reintroduced in its current form.[9]

Badges with both leaders have been recently used by people traveling between regions as an item for bartering in the North Korean gray market. Previously, methamphetamine was used for bartering before various crackdowns made the practice hard. Badges eventually replaced drugs despite falling prices.[12] In Pyongyang, too, where money and prized items are in short supply, the badges have value.

Wearing

Foreigners being awarded Kim Il Sung badges at the Yanggakdo International Hotel

Virtually all North Koreans wear the badges.[13] North Koreans begin wearing the badges at 12 years old. The badges are placed above their Korean Children's Union badges.[8]

Respect for the badges is enshrined in the Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System, which mandate that they "must be treated with reverence and protected with utmost care".[14] If someone is caught outside their home without a badge, they are faced with explaining themselves at the next mutual criticism session.[11] The badges are given to eligible North Koreans for free,[7] and are acquired through one's workplace or school.[15][10] Losing, or selling, a badge results in one having to prove that they have lost the badge without a malicious intent before they are given a new one.[7] Lacking a badge has also been associated with transgression because sometimes people who professed "anti-Kim" behavior had their badges confiscated.[10]

A North Korean may own several different badges that they have obtained at different stages of their life,[11] two or three on average, but some have many more.[9]

Recently, badges have been sold to tourists at the Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il foundation building in Pyongyang for a 100 Euro 'donation', and after receiving permission and help of a local.[16] Badges have been smuggled out of the country for sale and can be found in Chinese cities in particular,[17] although selling them is illegal in China as well. Both authentic and counterfeit badges are sold in Tumen, Yanbian.[18] Most badges found outside of the country are counterfeits,[15] such as those regularly on sale in Dandong.[19]

The badges are worn on inner garments only,[9] either on the lapel or a shirt,[20] but not on outwear coats. Usually, the badges are worn on the left side of a garment, over the heart.[9] There are atypical ways of wearing the badges that are considered fashionable by North Koreans, the youth in particular.[17] Schoolchildren and teenagers use the badges to "perk up" their uniforms.[7] One such way is to wear the badge at the very edge of one's garment,[17] for which children of upper-class families in Pyongyang in particular are known.[21]

Although it is mandatory and obligatory to wear a badge, North Korean officials sometimes claim that it is done out of pure loyalty.[1] The badges are not worn on some occasions such as entering places of worship.

North Koreans traveling or working abroad almost never wear the badges when not on official business.

Types

A badge featuring both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il is the most prestigious type.

The badges are designed and made by the Mansudae Art Studio.[11]

The badges come in different shapes and sizes. Unlike in China, where Chairman Mao badges were diverse because their production was not overseen by the government, North Korean badges have relatively little variation.[5] All in all, there are more than 20 different designs.[22] The size, shape, coloring, and type of metal of the design is indicative of the social status and institutional affiliations of the person wearing it.[21] For instance, party youths wear large round badges, whereas common people wear smaller round badges.

While most badges only feature a portrait of Kim Il Sung, there are two exceptions. The most prestigious type has both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il — there are three designs that feature them both: one with the two against a red banner; one with them over a North Korean flag (without a star) worn by high-ranking Chongryon; and one with them on a smaller, more curved flag with the words 청년전위 (meaning "Youth Potential") written under the portraits — this badge is worn by some members of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League. No other designs feature both leaders. The design is reserved to high-level Workers' Party of Korea officials only. It is so rare that seeing one "can send many a minor North Korean bureaucrat into a stupor". The other exception is badges with the portrait of Kim Jong Il only. They are worn by security services cadres and are also considerably rare.[11]

Depending on the badge, the leader is depicted in a Western suit, military attire, or some other type of clothing.[3]

Before Kim Jong Un was confirmed as Kim Jong Il's successor and Kim Jong-chul was groomed as the country's next leader, a limited set of Kim Jong-chul badges were reportedly made and given to cabinet, party, and army officials.[23] There are no Kim Jong Un badges,[24] but according to North Korea expert Paul French it is only a matter of time before there will be.[25][needs update]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8108-7987-4
    .
  2. ISBN 978-951-0-39946-0
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e Lim 2015, p. 32.
  4. ^ a b Kwon & Chung 2012, p. 142.
  5. ^ a b Lynn 2007, p. 101.
  6. ^ Lim 2015, p. 24.
  7. ^ a b c d French 2007, p. 16.
  8. ^ a b c Lankov 2007, p. 7.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hyowon Shin (30 July 2013). "Behind the Evolution of North Korea's Leadership Loyalty Badges". NK News. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-1-86189-236-2
    .
  11. ^ a b c d e Lankov 2007, p. 8.
  12. ^ Sung-hui Moon (30 January 2015). "Illegal Sale of 'Double Portrait' Lapel Pins Flourishes in North Korea". Translated by Hanna Lee. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  13. ISBN 978-0-7914-9101-0
    .
  14. ISBN 978-1-4582-0217-8
    .
  15. ^ a b Lankov, Andrei (3 May 2012). "Potent Portraits in North Korea". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ "DPRK loyalty badges now easier to obtain for foreigners, but come with a price". NK News. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  17. ^ a b c Lankov 2007, p. 9.
  18. ^ Steele, Lawrence (30 November 2015). "In Tumen, Hawkers Find N.Korean Leader Pins a Tough Sell". NK News. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  19. ^ Willoughby 2014, p. 261.
  20. ISBN 0-495-00561-4
    .
  21. ^ a b Willoughby 2014, p. 67.
  22. ^ Herman, Luke (15 November 2012). "Brace Yourselves, The Kim Jong Un Badges Are Coming". NK News. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  23. ^ Lynn 2007, p. 120.
  24. ^ Willoughby 2014, p. 30.
  25. ^ MacKinnon, Mark (23 August 2012). "North Korea's Kim Jong-un: Portrait of a Leader in the Making". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 5 February 2017.

Works cited

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Badges of North Korea.
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