Flag of North Korea

What the flag means

• 🔴Red — revolutionary traditions
• ⚪White — purity
• 🔵Blue — sovereignty and peace
• ⭐Red star in a white disc — revolutionary tradition

Design set by: ⁨조선민주주의인민공화국 사회주의헌법 제170조⁩ · Adopted 1948

Highlights

• 🏔️ Mt. Paektu and Mt. Kumgang
• 📜 Goguryeo ruins, long history
• 🍜 Pyongyang buckwheat cold noodles
• 🧵 Fine hand embroidery and crafts
• 🌲 Untouched natural scenery

Quick facts

Region

Asia · Eastern Asia

Population

26,571,036 people (2025)

Area

120,538 km²

Capital

Pyongyang

Languages

Korean

Currency

North Korean won (KPW)

Organizations

United Nations

Neighboring countries

• China
• Russia
• South Korea

Land neighbors, approximated from simplified map outlines.

Symbols in History (1)

Coats of arms and emblems whose historic seat lies within this country’s present-day territory.

• 

  Goryeo Phoenix Banner

  Korea (Goryeo dynasty) · Banner / flag

  OriginThe bong-gi (鳳旗), or “phoenix flag”, was one of the ceremonial standards carried in the processions and honour guards of the Goryeo court. No banner from the period itself survives, so the design is known from the flag reconstructed for the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, which this drawing follows. Phoenix standards of the same kind stayed in Korean royal regalia long after Goryeo, reappearing among the banners of Joseon court processions.

  DescriptionA single phoenix crosses the pale gold field, wings spread and head turned to the left, its red comb and hooked red beak sharp against a soft green body. Pale green plumage covers the body and the great wing, deep teal feathers lie beneath it, a fan of red flight feathers rises from the wing and a long red tail sweeps down behind; where the tail joins the body runs a narrow band of gold-and-red scales, and out of it stream long ribbon-like plumes of pale green. Lavender clouds with dark blue cores and small gold-and-red scrolls drift all around, setting the bird in mid-flight across the sky. In East Asian tradition the phoenix shows itself only when a virtuous ruler sits on the throne, so the banner announces the king's authority and the peace of his reign at once. Striped bands of red, gold and dark teal run along the top and the bottom of the flag, and a shorter upright band of the same stripes stands inside the field on the left — the very side whose edge is cut into four swallow-tail points.

  Image source: Wikimedia Commons — Royal flag of Goryeo (Bong-gi).svg