North korean flagemoji

List ofNorth Koreanflags

Two years after that, in 1948, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was born. The North Korea flag chosen was a very different design to the last one back then. It had a red stripe with a white and blue border. And inside the central stripe is a white disk with a soviet red five-pointed star. This is now the current North Korea flag that we see today.

Speaking of the US: from a personal point of view it was very strange to see it paired with the American flag at the Hanoi Summit; something I did not expect to see! From what we are aware this is the only time the North Korean flag and the flag of the USA have been flown side by side – well at least until Trump returns….

This flag made it’s debut at the June 2018 Summit between Marshal Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump and is one of North Korea’s newest flags. It is comprised of the emblem of the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission on a red field.

NorthKorea map

The Flag of the Sinuiju Special Administrative Region was introduced in 2002 and features a turquoise field with a white flower in the middle.

President Kim Il Sung and his successors have often talked about the importance of the flag. So, like many other patriotic countries, it can often be seen flying over government buildings, and during holidays the only country that can outdo it for flags per square mile is probably the US.

NorthKorea population

I’m sure there are more than entrant in this race, but for me certainly it was seeing the flag flying freely next to that of the USA along the streets of Hanoi. It was of course part of the Trump – Kim summit, but still quite a site to behold.

Founded in 1946 the Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Youth league has the emblem of Youth League on a red flag, with “Youth” (청년) on the emblem.

The Workers Party of Korea’s forerunner (The Workers Party of North Korea 1946-1949) also had a flag separate North Korean flag:

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NorthKorea President

The Supreme Commander Star on a red flag. This is usually used as a war flag during military exercises. Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army is the highest rank possible and has been held by three people. President Kim Il Sung, General Kim Jong Il and Marshal Kim Jong Un.

Sadly as North Korea has remained closed due to Covid-19 it has meant not only no travel into the country, but also not outside of the country. This has meant that the flag of North Korea has not been seen at international, or sporting events.

The Korean People’s Air and Anti-Air force feature the People’s Army emblem at the centre on a sky blue field with a thick dark stripe in the lower portion with three thinner dark blue lines above.

NorthKorea capital

And of course the Unification Flag of North and South Korea is an unofficial 2:3 flag that is usually flown when North and South Korea are together in sporting events. It features a white background with a light blue map of Korea. We’ve written an article about that one!

The worker Peasant guards are North Korea’s Paramilitary force. Their flag prominently features a red star and yellow text with a totally red background.

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Introduced in 1949 and arguably the countries most recognizable. This flag is a combination of a hammer (workers), a writing brush (intellectuals) and a Korean sickle (peasants), crossed over a red field.

The Korean text “조국의 통일 독립과，인민의 자유와 행복을 위하여 “ located at the top and bottom of all the military flags translates into “For the unification and independence of the motherland, and the freedom and happiness of the people”

The North Korea flag can be displayed both vertically and horizontally. The red star represents communism, red panels represent patriotism, white stripe is unification and culture, with the blue stripe representing unity.

This though looks to soon be changing with North Koreans again allowed to travel and indeed take part in sporting events, thus hopefully the North Korean flag again on international display.

The Korean People’s Navy Flag is white with a broad blue stripe and two thin blue stripes with the Korean People’s Army emblem at the centre.

NorthKorea rules

Gareth Johnson is the founder of Young Pioneer Tours and has visited over 180+ countries. His passion is opening obscure destinations to tourism and sharing his experience of street food.

The Socialists Women’s Union was founded in 1945 and serves as a mass organization for women. Their has The name of the organization: “Women’s League” (녀성동맹) against a white background.

Firstly, after the defeat of the Japanese at the end of World War 2, the Northern part of the Korean peninsula was occupied by Soviet forces in 1946 and created the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea. They designed a flag with a modified taegeuk symbol and, from top right to bottom left, the heaven, fire, water and earth Taoist symbols. This flag resembles the current flag of South Korea (see our article about that one here)

The Korean People’s Army Ground Force flag removed the national emblem and features darker blue stripes and the emblem for the Korean People’s Army in the centre.

The flag actually has less in common with a standard communist flag and more in line with the flag of South Korea, representing a fusion, should the two have remained unified perhaps.

What is the North Korea flag? What does the North Korean flag mean? And are there variations on the flag of North Korea? Here is the ultimate guide to the flags of the Democratic Peoples Repubic of Korea (DPRK).

Not to be confused with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea flag, or state. The Peoples Republic of Korea was a state that existed very briefly before the division of the Korean peninsula.