This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website

# North Korea

## Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Last modified: 2026-05-09 by ian macdonald
Keywords: korea | north korea | democratic peoples repulic of korea | asia | star: 5-pointed (white) | sickle | powerplant | mount paektu | rice |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

| 1:2 image by Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

- National Symbols:
  - Flag
    - Vertical Version
    - Construction Details
  - Colour Specifications
  - Emblem
  - Air Force Aircraft Markings
- Military:
  - North Korean Naval Ensign
    - Guards Naval Ensign
  - Korean People's Armed Forces
    - Korean People's Army Ground Forces
    - Korean People's Navy
    - Korean People's Army Air Force
    - Korean People's Strategic Forces
    - Worker-Peasant Red Guards
- Positional:
  - Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
  - Supreme People's Congress Standing Committee
  - Chairman of the State Affairs Commission
- Political:
  - Korean Workers' Party
    - Precursors:
      - Down-with-Imperialism Union (1926-)
      - Anti-Japan People's Front Army (1932-1934)
    - North Korean Farmers Union
    - Women's League
    - Youth Organizations:
      - Kim Il-Sung Socialist Youth League
      - North Korean Democratic Youth Union
      - Korean Socialist Young Workers Union
      - Kum Song Brigade
      - International Boys Camp
      - Songdown International Boys Camp
  - Juche Flag
  - Kim Il-Sung / Kim Jong-Il Portrait Flags
- Subnational:
  - Pyongyang
  - Sinuiju Special Administrative Region
  - Kaesong Industrial Region
  - South Korean-assigned provincial flags
- Historic:
  - History of the Korean flag (for relevant common flags of North and South Korea)
  - Korea in the Immediate Postwar Period
  - North Korea 1946-1948
  - North Korea 1948 (dubious)
  - North Korea's flag proposals 1948
  - Japanese Korea (1905-1945):
    - Japanese Resident General of Korea, 1905-1910
    - Lightship Ensign for use in Korea, 1871-1945
    - Customs Ensign for use in Korea, 1910-1945
    - Fishery Inspection Ensign for use in Korea, 1928-1945
- Miscellaneous:
  - Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission
  - United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission
  - Joint Korean Flag Used at Sporting-Events (1991-)
  - Kim Il Sung University
  - Sports flags
  - North Korea Red Cross
  - Unidentified Flags

See also:

- South Korea
- Liancourt Rocks (disputed territory)
- Flags on stamps: North Korea
- Flag dates: by country

External Links:

- German site on North Korea (with flag images)

## Introduction

Webster's Concise Encyclopedia of Flags & Coats of Arms, Crampton, 1985 states about the flag:

> The flag created in 1948 consists of three stripes - blue, red, blue - separated from each other by two narrow white lines, the proportions being 6 : 2 : 17 : 2 : 6. The hoist of the red stripe is charged with a white disc containing a red five-pointed star. The blue stripes stand for the people's desire for peace, the red one symbolizes the revolutionary spirit of the struggle for socialism, and white - a traditional Korean color - represents the purity of the ideals of (North) Korea and national sovereignty. The five-pointed star signifies the happy prospects of the people building socialism under the leadership of the Korean Worker's Party. The white disc suggests the yin and yang symbol ("t'aeguk" in Korean) in the flag of the Republic of Korea.

Jarig Bakker, 28 Sep 1999

Smith (1975) wrote:

> White has been the traditional colour of the Korean nation and figures in the flag of North Korea as a symbol of purity, strength and dignity. The blue stripes represent a commitment to peace, while the red indicates the nation is on a path to socialism. The star is a symbol of the leading role played by the Korean Workers Party, in creating the new economic, social and political of the country following World War 2. The white disk on which the star appears ma be reminiscent of the traditional Korean T'aeguk, symbol of the universe.

Rob Raeside, 16 Feb 2000

I run the facebook page Flags of DPR (North) Korea. If there is stuff here that could be useful on the page, please don't hesitate... (subtle hint).
Dean Thomas, 04 November 2014

## Vertical Version

image by Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024 | It appears that the flag of the DPRK can be hoisted vertically, as shown in this photo taken outside Pyongyang Central Train Station. Also shown in this picture is a vertical hoisting of the flag of the Korean Workers' Party, which, it is worth noting, is not the only political party in People's Korea - also sitting in the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang are the Chondoist Chongu Party and the Korean Social Democratic Party. (Whether or not these parties actually do anything is another matter.) Dafydd Young, 25 Nov 2003 The Público newspaper published on 11 Feb 2005 a report about the ongoing controversy about the North Korean nuclear potential. The article itself, albeit quite lengthy, was devoid of vex content, but it came illustrated by a photo of a military parade that was quite vexy. It shows two North Korean national flags and a third flag, which I presume being red, and which seems to have no charges, all flown from the military vehicles up front. The building in the back is decorated by a very large arrangement of the national flag and the national coat of arms and its facade is decorated by what's the most interesting bit for us. A portrait of Kim Jong-Il is in the center, but that's the irrelevant part. On the sides is the relevant part: two vertical flags, looking about 3:1 in proportions, on the left the national flag, on the right the flag of the Korean Workers' Party. Jorge Candeias, 18 May 2005

## Colour Specifications

The Constitution defines the flag and there are illustrations of symbols:
http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/book/download.php?4+4047#.pdf
The illustration shows a darker shade of blue.
I haven’t found the legal document of specification, but this page (https://namu.wiki) refers to a Flag Act issued in 1993. It also gives a construction sheet and color specification in RGB and CMYK systems:
Blue: RGB 2-79-162, Hex #024FA2, CMYK 99-51-0-36
Red: RGB 237-28-39, Hex #ED1C27, CMYK 0-88-84-7
White: RGB 255-255-255, Hex #FFFFFF, CMYK 0-0-0-0
This page (https://www.tongilnews.com) gives some details about the Flag Act:
“The National Flag Law was adopted on October 22, 1992. The National Emblem Law was adopted a year later on October 20, 1993. Both laws follow the general structure of North Korean individual laws. Chapter 1 is about the ‘basics’ of the National Flag Law and the National Emblem Law, and the last chapter is about ‘guidance control.’
The National Flag Act is a law that aims to ‘establish a system and order’ in ‘National Flag Specifications and Production’ (Chapter 2), ‘National Flag Use’ (Chapter 3), ‘National Flag Hoisting Ceremony’ (Chapter 4), and ‘National Flag Storage and Management’ (Chapter 5).”

Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [loc12]) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be.
For PR Korea: PMS 193 red, 300 blue. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise, but the star remains upright.
Ian Sumner, 10 October 2012

Other sources for colors:
The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone colors: PMS 032 (red), and PMS 293 (blue).
The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] (Corr. No. 5.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Blue: Pantone 300c, CMYK 100-45-0-0
Red: Pantone 186c, CMYK 0-90-80-5

The Album des Pavillons 2023 already specifies the colors of the flags in three color systems.
Blue: Pantone 298c, CMYK 67-9-1-0, RGB 66-180-230
Blue: Pantone 2145c, CMYK 97-71-0-0, RGB 3-78-162
Red: Pantone 1788c, CMYK 0-95-85-0, RGB 238-28-37
Yellow: Pantone 803c, CMYK 10-0-95-0, RGB 255-255-0
Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone system: PMS 199C (red), PMS 293C (blue), and PMS White.
Wikipedia refers to the Constitution, gives a construction sheet, and doesn’t give color specification.
The equivalent Korean page (https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki) gives color values in RGB only:
Blue: 2-79-162 (#024FA2), White: 255-255-255 (#FFFFFF), and Red: 237-28-39 (#ED1C27)
Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Blue: Hex. # 024FA2, RGB 2-79-162, CMYK 99-51-0-37, Pantone 2145 C, RAL 5017
White: Hex. # FFF FFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Pantone N/A, RAL N/A
Red: Hex. # ED1C27, RGB 237-28-39, CMYK 0-88-84-7, Pantone 1788 C, RAL 3026

Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

## Emblem

image located by Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

From the constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea:

> ### Ch. VII Article 168

> The national emblem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea bears the design of a grand hydroelectric power plant under Mount Paektu, the sacred mountain of the revolution, and bearing the beaming light of a five-pointed red star, with ears of rice forming an oval frame, bound with a red ribbon bearing the inscription "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

contributor and date unknown

I've accessed this site about the origins of the North Korean emblem and flag. On the last picture, there is a part of rejected proposals of the coat of arms and flags. It might be fanciful, but it could be helpful.
Kim, 04 August 2015

The current emblem of North Korea was adopted in 1993. Its design is modified from the former version used from the founding of North Korea in 1948. Its prominent features on the emblem are a red star, a hydroelectric plant (the Sup'ung dam) and Mount Paektu. The mountain is an important symbol of power and legitimacy of the Kim dynasty in North Korean propaganda, and is especially identified with Kim Jong-il because it is the official place of his birth.
Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

image located by Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

The emblem used from 1948 until 1993 was similar to current emblem, but it featured a generic mountain range. It was adopted in September 1948.
Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

image located by Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

In July 1948 North Korea adopted its first constitution. This constitution defined the North Korean emblem, but the emblem was in use for only two months. It features a furnace and the Heaven Lake, as opposed to a hydroelectric plant on later designs.
Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024