North Korea

3×5' nylon national flag of North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).

North Korea's flag replaced the shared Korean Taegukgi in 1948, when the peninsula was divided. Its red star marks the communist state founded in the north, while the south kept the older flag.

Design

A wide red band edged by narrow white stripes and blue bands above and below. Toward the hoist, a white disc bears a red five-pointed star.

History & Symbolism

The flag was adopted on 8 September 1948. In official accounts, red stands for revolutionary traditions, white for the purity and unity of the Korean nation, and blue for the desire for peace and international friendship. The star stands for communism.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 8 September 1948
• Official proportions: 1:2
• Colors: red, blue, white
• Emblem: red star in a white disc

Vexillographer's Note

Collectors and scholars value this flag as a document of the Cold War and of Korea's division. South Korea's flag, the Taegukgi, is also in our collection.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864