Flag of North Korea

The national flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) consists of a wide horizontal red stripe bordered above and below by a thin white stripe and a broad blue stripe. The red stripe is charged near the hoist with a five-pointed red star inside a white disc. The design of the flag is defined in the North Korean constitution and regulations regarding the use and manufacture of the flag are outlined in the country's national flag law.

The flag was officially adopted on 8 September 1948, with the passing of North Korea's first constitution by the 1st Supreme People's Assembly. The North Korean government credits Kim Il Sung, the country's founder and first leader, with designing the flag; however, North Korean artist Kim Chu-gyong was previously recognised as its designer. Pak Il, a Soviet-Korean interpreter, claimed that it was designed by the government of the Soviet Union, and his account was corroborated by another Soviet-Korean, Chŏng Sangjin.

The North Korean flag is featured prominently in state propaganda. Its display is banned in South Korea by the National Security Act, but exceptions have been made for film and television productions, as well as sports competitions.

Names

In North Korea, the flag is known by various names, including the "Blue and Red Flag of the Republic", the "Blue and Red National Flag", the "Red-Blue Five-Pointed Star Flag", and the "Flag of the Republic". In South Korea, it is known as the "Flag of the People's Republic" or pejoratively as the "Flag of the Northern Puppet".

Design

The design of the flag was defined in Chapter VII, Article 170 of the Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 1948 (2014 revision). It stated:

The article was retained from the country's provisional constitution, which was drafted in late 1947 and adopted at a special session of the People's Assembly of North Korea in February 1948. During the session, assembly chairman Kim Tu-bong read the article describing the national flag (originally Article 100) and asked for opinions from delegates. Representative An Mong-yong expressed his concerns that the flag would fold easily when hoisted because of its length, and proposed changing the width-to-length ratio of the flag from 1:2 to 2:3. An's proposal was dismissed by Kim Tu-bong, who assured An that the existing dimensions would not be a problem.

On 23 March 2026, a new amendment was ratified that changed the flag's proportions from 1:2 to 1:1.65 (20:33 in integral number). The design of the flag is now defined in Chapter VII, Article 166. It states:

Symbolism

thumb|right|upright=0.7| Vertical display of the flag

Different sources give conflicting explanations of the flag's symbolism. According to an article published on 8 August 2013 in the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Il Sung gave the following significance to the flag's elements after designing it:

Pak Il, a Soviet-Korean interpreter who claimed to have translated from Russian the original flag designs proposed by the Soviet government, also claimed that the flag was initially intended to be hoisted vertically, and gave the following as the original explanation of the flag's symbolism:

The US Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook meanwhile states that the colours of the flagred, white, and blueare considered national colours and symbolise, respectively: revolutionary traditions; purity, strength, and dignity; and sovereignty, peace, and friendship. It also states that the red star is a national symbol and represents socialism.

Construction

The North Korean government has specified sizes, colours, and manufacturing parameters in which the flag is to be made. They are detailed in Appendix I of the National Flag Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 1992 (2012 revision). The width-to-length ratio of the flag is 1:2. The flag is divided into six vertical sections, with the top and bottom sixths being blue stripes. The middle four-sixths further divide into 24 sections, with the top and bottom twenty-fourths being white stripes, and the other twenty-two twenty-fourths being red. The center of the red star (and of the white disc that surrounds it) is at half the flag's height and one-third of its length. The diameter of the white disc is two-thirds the combined height of the red and white stripes. The imaginary disc described by the points of the red star has a diameter equal to half the height of the white stripe from the white disc's diameter. The points of the red star do not touch the circumference of the white disc.

thumb|center|upright=1.8|Construction sheet for the pre-2026 flag

A new flag design was introduced in May 2026.