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North Korea

Asia

Quick Facts

Capital

Pyongyang

Population

26.0M

Area

120,538 km²

Density

216 /km²

Median age

35.8 yrs

Description

Adoption

10 July 1948 (introduced)
8 September 1948 (adopted with the first constitution, 78 years). A revision reported in 2026 is said to have changed the proportions and thickened the stripes.

Designed byOfficially credited to Kim Il-sung; the artist Kim Chu-gyŏng was first named as designer, and the design is said to have been dictated from Moscow.

Design & Symbolism

Specs plus what each color and emblem means on this flag — tap an element to reveal its meaning.

Proportions

1:2

Shape

Rectangular

Colors

Blue#024FA2 · Pantone 286 C

Blue speaks of sovereignty, peace and friendship among peoples.

White#FFFFFF

White stands for purity and the nation.

Red#ED1C27 · Pantone 186 C

Red evokes the revolutionary spirit and blood shed; the red star, socialism.

Symbols & elements

Red star in a white disc

The five-pointed star stands for communism and the revolutionary traditions of the state. The white disc that frames it echoes the circular yin-yang motif of Korean tradition, shared with the South.

Construction details

Proportions 1:2. A wide central red horizontal band, edged above and below by a thin white line and then a broad blue band. Near the hoist, a white disc bears a red five-pointed star.

Construction sheet