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Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)

Last modified: 2024-07-20 by ian macdonald
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New flags (2023)

[Korean People's Army (North Korea)] image located by Nozomi Kariyasu, 13 February 2023

It seems that North Korean Military flags have been changed and new flags were introduced:
https://www.nknews.org/2023/02/kim-jong-un-reappears-at-military-meeting-orders-intensified-training/

The video of the 2023 North Korean military parade shows that the flags of the three forces drawn on the walls of the main decorated building at the venue had 1948.2.8 the date of founding of the KPA, instead of the traditional date of the memorial day of the foundation of the forerunner of the KPA, People's Revolutionary Army 4.25 (Apr 25th 1932). They are considered to be the new flags of the Ground Force, Navy, and Air Force, not the corp flags of the KPA on the occation of the 75th anniversary of KPA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVx7p3nDay4
Nozomi Kariyasu, 13 February 2023

NK News compare the old flags with new ones in terms of memorial date and the center emblem. The central red star is larger with the DPRK state emblem in the center, while specific branch or corps founding dates have been added.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 13 February 2023

There are new flags/colors of Korean People's Army and its subordinated branches, which were debuted during the 8 February 2023 celebrations. The new designs feature a new central charge of a gold disc with a wreath, superimposed by a red star with the state emblem of North Korea in gold; and a foliage ornament below the charge. The proportions of the flags were changed from 1:2 to 3:5. These changes have already been reported by Nozomi Kariyasu in 2023.
Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2024

Korean People's Army

Obverse and reverse 
[Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)]   [Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)] images by Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Felipe_Fidelis_Tobias#North_Korea

Identical to the new flag of the ground forces except without the blue and white stripes. The slogan reads "For the endless prosperity of the fatherland and the health of the people! (조국의 무궁한 번영과 인민의 안녕을 위하여)", with the date of the founding of the KPA as 2 February 1948 in the canton.

Reverse side: Party symbol placed within a design containing the façade of the WPK headquarters in Pyongyang.
Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024

Korean People's Army Ground Force

Obverse and reverse 
[Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)]   [Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)] images by Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Felipe_Fidelis_Tobias#North_Korea

Identical to the former flag except the emblem of the KPA is defaced with the emblem of the DPRK emblazoned on largened red star. The slogan reads "For the endless prosperity of the fatherland and the health of the people! (조국의 무궁한 번영과 인민의 안녕을 위하여)", with the date of founding of the particular unit placed in the canton. This flag is used by units of the Ground Forces to serve as a unit flag. The date of foundation on the canton differs among KPAGF units of regiment/brigade level and above, independent battalions and educational institutions.

Reverse side: Identical to the former flag except the party symbol is placed within a design containing the facade of the WPK headquarters in Pyongyang.
Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024

Korean People's Army Navy

Obverse and reverse 
[Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)]   [Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)] images by Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Felipe_Fidelis_Tobias#North_Korea

Identical to the former flag except the emblem of the KPA is defaced with the emblem of the DPRK emblazoned on largened red star, surrounded by a laurel wreath, and surmounted by an anchor and steering wheel. The slogan reads "For the endless prosperity of the fatherland and the health of the people! (조국의 무궁한 번영과 인민의 안녕을 위하여)", with the date of founding of the particular unit placed in the canton. The representative flag of the whole branch displays the date 28 August 1949.

Reverse side: Identical to the former flag except the party symbol is placed within a design containing the façade of the WPK headquarters in Pyongyang.
Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024

Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force

Obverse and reverse 
[Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)]   [Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)] images by Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Felipe_Fidelis_Tobias#North_Korea

Identical to the former flag except the emblem of the KPAAF is defaced with the emblem of the DPRK emblazoned on largened red star with additional stars at the top. Lower stripes are arranged as chevrons, and with six trailing jet fighters emerging behind the emblem. The slogan reads "For the endless prosperity of the fatherland and the health of the people! (조국의 무궁한 번영과 인민의 안녕을 위하여)", with the date of founding of the particular unit placed in the canton. The representative flag of the whole branch displays the date 29 November 1945.

Reverse side: Identical to the former flag except the party symbol is placed within a design containing the façade of the WPK headquarters in Pyongyang.
Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024

Missile General Bureau

[Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)] image by Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Felipe_Fidelis_Tobias#North_Korea

The Flag of the Missile General Bureau is seen with its Emblem in a large form with the founding date of 2016.4.30, The slogan reads "For the endless prosperity of the fatherland and the health of the people! (조국의 무궁한 번영과 인민의 안녕을 위하여)"

Reverse side: Identical to the Backside flags of the KPA except the party symbol is placed within a design containing the façade of the WPK headquarters in Pyongyang.
Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024

Worker-Peasant Red Guards

[Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)]  [Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)] image by Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Felipe_Fidelis_Tobias#North_Korea

Worker-Peasant Red Guards is a paramilitary force in North Korea. It is the largest civil defense force in North Korea. The militia is organized on a provincial/city/town/village level, and structured on a brigade, battalion, company, and platoon basis. The militia maintains infantry small arms, with some mortars, field guns and anti-aircraft guns and even modernized older equipment. Its strength is estimated at 5 million personnel.

The slogan reads "For the endless prosperity of the fatherland and the health of the people! (조국의 무궁한 번영과 인민의 안녕을 위하여)"

Reverse side: With Korean letters reading "Worker-Peasant Red Guards".
Zoltan Horvath, 23 June 2024


 

Former flags

[Korean People's Armed Forces (North Korea)] image by Jaume Ollé, 19 September 2009

National flag with yellow fringe and state arms in hoist instead of disc with red star. Hangul inscription in yellow on blue stripes:

For the independence of the Homeland
and the people!

Source: video footage of 2003 North Korean military parade in Pyonygang
Nozomi Kariyasu, 19 September 2009


I was watching videos of the military parade honoring the late Kim Jong-Il's birthday (this year would have been his 70th according to DPRK lore). Around 7:08 and 9:09 of this very long video I noticed there is the flags of all of the military services and key organs of the Korean's Workers Party. I noticed the air force flag in particular has the secondary color as green, not a darker blue. I think the color scheme is similar to that of the Russian Air-Troops (VDV) and other paratrooper forces from the former Soviet Union. Are my eyes fooling me or does any one else see this?
Zachary Harden, 07 December 2012

Your eyes didn't fool you - although I would call it dark blue-gray rather than green. Interestingly, the flags on the dais were not all of the same pattern, but showed subtle variations:
Dexter side, from centre:
Worker's Party Flag
Army Flag, long mottoes, *dark blue* stripes
Navy Flag, long mottoes, medium blue stripes
Air Force Flag, long mottoes, dark blue-gray stripes
Red Guards Flag, long mottoes
Army Flag, long mottoes, medium blue stripes
Navy Flag, *short* mottoes, medium blue stripes
Air Force Flag, long mottoes, dark blue-gray stripes
Red Guards Flag, long mottoes

Sinister side, from centre:
National Flag, medium blue stripes
Army Flag, long mottoes, medium blue stripes
Navy Flag, long mottoes, medium blue stripes
Air Force Flag, long mottoes, dark blue-gray stripes
Red Guards Flag, long mottoes
Army Flag, long mottoes, *dark* blue stripes
Navy Flag, *short* mottoes, medium blue stripes
Air Force Flag, long mottoes, dark blue-gray stripes
Red Guards Flag, long mottoes
Miles Li, 11 December 2012


[Korean People's Army (North Korea)] image located by Nozomi Kariyasu, 18 February 2015

I found a stamp issued in 1993 showing Flag of Korean People’s Armed Forces which is charged with national emblem and fringe.
I don’t know when they changed Armed Flag.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 18 February 2015


Korean People's Army (reverse)

[Korean People's Army (North Korea)] image by Miles Li, 25 January 2015

In the book 'Glorious 50 Years" (Pyongyang: Korea Pictorial, 1995) there was a photo of one of those North Korean military parades, in which the massed unit colours of the three services were led by a single red flag with the military badge on the "reverse" side (rather than obverse as on the other flags), surrounded by a full wreath, above hangul letters which probably read "Choson inmingun" (Korean People's Army). (The obverse design is unknown, but probably the same as the reverse side.)
Miles Li, 25 January 2015