North Korea: Flag and Facts
North Korea's flag puts a wide red middle band edged in white between two blue bands and adds a white disk holding a red five-pointed star toward the left.
- Official name
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- Capital
- Pyongyang
- Region
- Eastern Asia
- Population
- 26 million (2025)
- Languages
- Korean
- Currency
- North Korean won
- Area
- 120,538 km² (46,540 sq mi)
- People
- North Korean
- Calling code
- +850
- Highest point
- Paektu-san 2,744 m
- Independence
- 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
- National symbols
- red star, chollima (winged horse)
- Borders
- China, South Korea, Russia
About North Korea
The red band, three times as wide as each blue one, stands for revolutionary traditions. White means purity, strength, and dignity, and blue signals sovereignty, peace, and friendship, while the star in red stands for socialism. Another national symbol is the chollima, a winged horse.
Choson, the first recorded kingdom on the peninsula, dates to around 2300 B.C. Silla teamed up with China to unify Korea in 688, and later the Koryo and Choson dynasties ruled until Japan annexed the whole peninsula in 1910. After World War II, the north fell under Soviet-backed communist control, and Kim Il Sung founded the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948. Hills and mountains fill most of the country, cut by deep, narrow valleys, and winters are long and bitter. Paektu-san, the tallest peak, reaches 2,744 meters.
Did you know?
- North Korea's anthem is "Aegukka," which means Patriotic Song.
- Founding Day, on 9 September, marks the creation of the state in 1948.
- North Korea is slightly larger than Virginia and slightly smaller than Mississippi.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about North Korea
What is the capital of North Korea?
Pyongyang, a city of about 3.2 million people.
Which countries border North Korea?
China, Russia, and South Korea.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.