North Korea has revised the official proportions of its national flag for the first time since the regime’s establishment in 1948, in what analysts see as another step by leader Kim Jong Un to forge a distinct national identity under his “two hostile states” doctrine.
According to Article 166 of the revised constitution published Nov 13 on Naenara, a North Korean external propaganda website, the height-to-width ratio of the national flag has been changed from 1:2 to 1:1.65, effectively shortening its width while preserving its basic design.
The revision marks the first change to the flag’s proportions in 78 years, although its central red field, white and blue stripes and red five-pointed star remain unchanged.
In a separate section of the website, Pyongyang explained that the flag’s central red field symbolises the blood shed by anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters, while the white circle and stripes represent loyalty to the ruling Workers’ Party and the country’s leader.
The blue stripes symbolise anti-imperialist independence, world peace and friendship, as well as national sovereignty.
The change is seen as part of Kim’s broader campaign to redefine North Korea’s national identity and distinguish his leadership from that of his predecessors, particularly as Pyongyang moves to institutionalise its increasingly hostile stance toward South Korea.
