Last modified: 2024-07-20 by ian macdonald
Keywords: korea | north korea | democratic peoples repulic of korea | asia | star: 5-pointed (white) | sickle | powerplant | mount paektu | rice |
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image by Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024
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External Links:
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:
Rob Raeside, 16 Feb 2000White 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.
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
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It appears that the flag of the DPRK can be hoisted vertically, as shown in this 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 |
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
![[Coat of Arms (North Korea)]](../images/k/kp).gif)
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
![[Coat of Arms (North Korea)]](../images/k/kp)1948b.gif)
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
![[Coat of Arms (North Korea)]](../images/k/kp)1948a.gif)
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
![[Vertical Flag (North Korea)]](../images/k/kp_v.gif)
