The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea

The National Flag of the DPRK

When Japan was forced to withdraw after WWII, the Korean peninsula was divided into to zones of control. The north controlled by the Soviet Union, and the south by the United States. In 1948 an election was called in the south to elect a new government to govern Korea, but the north refused to take part, and this led to the dividing of the peninsula.

So, in 1948, North Korea became a one-party state, under the Korean Workers Party, at the time, under the control of Kim Il-Sung. The flag of the KWP is the standard Communist red banner, and in the centre, the logo of the KWP. The logo features the hammer, representing the industrial workers, the sickle stands for the agricultural workers, and the paintbrush stands for the artisans.

However, for the state, the DPRK kept with the traditional colours for Korean flags, of red, white, and blue. The flag itself is similar to the flag of Thailand. Consisting of a broad red bar across the flag, with blue and white stripes across the top and bottom. Towards the fly on the red bar is a white disc, representing the taegeuk, a traditional symbol in Korea. On the white disc is the red star of communism. The red colour represents revolution, the blue represents sovereignty and peace, and the white represents purity.

However, because DPRK seeks to re-unify with the South, the two sides look to represent themselves as one side. It is quite common for the two sides to enter into international competitions under the Unification flag. A white banner, with a light blue map of the Korean peninsula. The sides usually go on to compete separately.

Korea is home to one of the worlds largest flags, flying from the worlds tallest flagpole, located at their "peace village" next to the DMZ line.