N. Korea amends constitution to change flag's proportions for first time since founding

North Korea has amended its constitution to change the aspect ratio of its national flag for the first time since the regime was established in 1948.

According to the revised constitution published Friday on Naenara, a North Korean external propaganda website, Article 166 now states that "the ratio of the flag's height to its width is 1:1.65."

The change replaces the previous 1:2 ratio enshrined in the constitution, making the flag comparatively narrower relative to its height.

From 1948 through the most recent revision adopted at the 9th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly in September 2024, the constitution had consistently specified a 1:2 height-to-width ratio.

The Naenara website described the flag's design as featuring "a broad red stripe in the center, with narrow white stripes above and below it, followed by blue stripes, and a red five-pointed star inside a white circle on the side where the flag is attached to the pole."

The red stripe, it said, symbolizes "the red blood shed by the anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of the homeland and the sovereignty of the people."

The white circle and two white stripes represent "the loyalty of our people, who uphold the leadership of the party and the leader with a pure heart," the website added, while the two blue stripes above and below symbolize "the revolutionary spirit of our people, who hold high the banner of anti-imperialist independence and struggle for world peace, friendship and solidarity, and the sovereignty of the republic."

The decision to alter flag proportions maintained for decades is seen as an extension of Kim Jong-un's efforts to assert his own governing philosophy and a distinct national identity.

Kim has pursued a complete break with South Korea under his declaration of the two countries as "hostile states," a drive that included adopting a new national anthem law in 2024 and replacing the lyric "Samcheolli" — a term encompassing the entire Korean Peninsula — with "this world."