The emblem of North Korea is a
national symbol
A national symbol is a symbol of any entity considering and manifesting itself to the world as a national community: the sovereign states but also nations and countries in a state of colonial or other dependence, federal integration, or even an ...
adopted in 1993 by the state. Its design is modified from the former version in use from the founding of
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
in 1948. Prominent features on the emblem are a
red star, a hydroelectric plant (the
Sup'ung dam) and
Mount Paektu
Paektu Mountain (), also known as Baekdu Mountain and in China as Changbai Mountain ( zh, s=长白山, t=長白山; Manchu: Golmin Šanggiyan Alin), is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. At , it is the highest moun ...
. The design bears similarities to the
emblem of the Soviet Union
The State Emblem of the Soviet Union; be, Дзяржаўны герб СССР; kk, ССРО мемлекеттік елтаңбасы; lt, TSRS Valstybinis herbas; lv, PSRS valsts ģerbonis; et, NSVL riigivapp} was adopted in 1923 and was ...
and other emblems of the
socialist heraldic
Socialist-style emblems usually follow a unique style consisting of communist symbolism. Although commonly referred to as coats of arms, most are not actually traditional heraldic achievements. Many communist governments purposely diverged f ...
style.
Prior to the establishment of the North Korean state, two former versions were in use from 1945 to 1947.
History
During the
Liberation of Korea in 1945 by the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
, Northern Korea had no emblem although the emblem of the
People's Republic of Korea
The People's Republic of Korea (PRK) was a short-lived provisional government that was organized at the time of the surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of World War II. It was proclaimed on 6 September 1945, as Korea was being divided ...
was used from 1945 to 1946. The first equivalent of an emblem appeared on January 1, 1946, printed below a speech of
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
in the newspaper ''
Chŏngro''. It features the
Korean Peninsula
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
surrounded by a pattern of ribbons and wheat identical to that of the
Soviet State Emblem
The State Emblem of the Soviet Union; be, Дзяржаўны герб СССР; kk, ССРО мемлекеттік елтаңбасы; lt, TSRS Valstybinis herbas; lv, PSRS valsts ģerbonis; et, NSVL riigivapp} was adopted in 1923 and was ...
. This was the only time it was ever used, and between 1946 and 1948 a simple outline of the peninsula was displayed in its place. This was intended to signal that the North and
the South are one country.
However, in July 1948 as the
division of Korea
The division of Korea began with the defeat of Empire of Japan, Japan in World War II. During the war, the Allies of World War II, Allied leaders considered the question of Korea's future after Japan's surrender in the war. The leaders reached ...
loomed, North Korea adopted its first
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. This constitution defined the North Korean emblem, but the emblem was in use for only two months. It features a furnace, as opposed to a hydroelectric plant on later designs.
On September 9, 1948, the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
was declared and a new emblem adopted. The chosen motif: the
Sup'ung hydroelectric plant was built by the Imperial Japanese during their
colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula, and as such could be not comfortable as symbol of national pride for nationalistic Koreans. However, North Korean sources claim that Kim Il-sung was behind the design. In 1993, the emblem was further amended to feature
Mount Paektu
Paektu Mountain (), also known as Baekdu Mountain and in China as Changbai Mountain ( zh, s=长白山, t=長白山; Manchu: Golmin Šanggiyan Alin), is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. At , it is the highest moun ...
. The mountain is an important symbol of power and legitimacy of the
Kim family dynasty in
North Korean propaganda
Propaganda is widely used and produced by the government of North Korea (DPRK). Most propaganda is based on the ''Juche'' ideology and on the promotion of the Workers' Party of Korea.
The first syllable of ''Juche'', "ju", means the man; th ...
,
and is especially identified with
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...
because it is where official narratives place his birth. The adoption of that symbol testified to the rise of his status.
File:Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Korea.svg, Emblem of the People's Republic of Korea
The People's Republic of Korea (PRK) was a short-lived provisional government that was organized at the time of the surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of World War II. It was proclaimed on 6 September 1945, as Korea was being divided ...
from 1945 to 1946
File:Emblem of North Korea (prototype).svg, Reconstruction of the first equivalent of an emblem published in ''Chŏngro'' in 1946
File:Emblem of North Korea (July – September 1948).svg, The emblem defined by the 1948 constitution but only used for two months
File:Emblem of North Korea (1948–1993).svg, The emblem used from the founding of North Korea until 1993 features a generic mountain range
File:Emblem of North Korea Variant.png, A variant of the emblem printed by the Foreign Languages Publishing House in 1960, showing the generic mountain range, as well as the design of the dam typical of the post-1993 standard.
File:Emblem of the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.svg, Emblem used by the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission
The President of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea () is the head of state of North Korea.Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Article 100 The president chairs the State Af ...
(2016–present)
Features
The emblem features the Sup'ung dam under Mount Paektu and a power line as the
escutcheon. The
crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
is a five-pointed
red star. It is
supported with ears of rice, bound with a red ribbon bearing the inscription "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea" in
Chosongul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
characters.
While the design of the hydroelectric plant is generic in appearance,
its identity is given away by the fact that Sup'ung was the only power station of its kind at the time when the emblem was designed.
Sup'ung was constructed by the Japanese and is located in what is today the border with the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. In spite of the uncomfortable reference to colonial infrastructure as well as foreign territory,
the choice of the image is not incidental and carries positive connotations. In the late 1940s, the North produced most of the electricity in the country.
The dam symbolizes self-sufficiency in electricity: in the spring of 1948 shortly before the hydroelectric plant was added to the emblem, North Korea cut off her power network from the South.
The emblem, and all of its predecessors, follows the basic
socialist heraldic
Socialist-style emblems usually follow a unique style consisting of communist symbolism. Although commonly referred to as coats of arms, most are not actually traditional heraldic achievements. Many communist governments purposely diverged f ...
design that was adopted in many other countries including, which clearly indicates the relations between the
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
ideology and the foundation of the country at the onset of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
.
File:COA North Korean embassy 7728.JPG, Emblem at the North Korean embassy in Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
.
File:COA North Korea 2748.JPG, Emblem at the fence of the North Korean embassy in Prague, Czech Republic.
File:North Korean Embassy Moscow.jpg, The emblem above the entrance to the North Korean embassy in Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
.
File:DPRK passport.png, North Korean passport
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea passport, commonly referred to as the North Korean passport, is the passport which may be issued to North Korean citizens for international travel. Since the majority of North Koreans do not get opportu ...
See also
*
Flag of North Korea
The flag of North Korea, also known as the Ramhongsaek Konghwagukgi ( ko, 람홍색공화국기; literally "blue and red-coloured flag of the republic"), sometimes known as the flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, consists of a ce ...
*
Emblem of South Korea
The National Emblem of the Republic of Korea (; Hanja: , ) consists of the ''taegeuk'' symbol present on the South Korean national flag surrounded by five stylized petals and a ribbon bearing the inscription of the official Korean name of the ...
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
National Emblem of the DPRK at
Naenara
Naenara () is the official web portal of the North Korean government. It was the first website in North Korea, and was created in 1996. The portal's categories include politics, tourism, music, foreign trade, arts, press, information technology ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of North Korea
National symbols of North Korea
Korea, North
Korea, North
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
Korean heraldry