Flag of North Korea

The flag ofNorth Koreais characterized with a red field and blue and white lines at the top and bottom part. There is also a white disk in the middle with a red tsar in it. The colors red, white and blue are known as the traditional colors of the Korean flag and when North Korea became independent in 1948 and the separated Korea was divided into the two independent states, North Korea retained this color but gave more emphasis to the color red.

The red star in the flag symbolizes the Communist ideals of the state while the white disk is a stylized representation of the “taeguekgi”, a Taoist yin-yang almost like the one in the South Korean flag. The “taeguekgi” was used in the Korean flag upon the country’s independence from Japan. Later this design was modified to bear more resemblance to the USSR flag. The overwhelming red stripes found in the North Korean flag represent revolutionary beliefs. The blue stripes signify sovereignty, peace, and friendship. The white stripes represent purity. The North Korean flag was amended on September 8, 1948 to be the National flag of North Korea.

One very interesting fact is that North Korea has the second largest flagpole in the world standing 160m tall hoisting a national flag weighing 600 pounds. This flagpole is found at Kijŏng-dong at the North Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line.

There are other flags used in North Korea and they have different significations. The military flags of the Korean People’s Army, the Korean People’s Air Force, and the Korean People’s Navy have designs similar to the National flag but with different colors. Other flags in use have common designs with Communist party flags. There is also a flag specifically from the Supreme Commander used by the President Kim Jong-il.