North Korea changes national flag's dimensions for first time since 1948

North Korea has amended its constitution to change the proportions of its national flag for the first time since the country's establishment in 1948.

Article 166 of the revised constitution, published on the website of North Korean state propaganda outlet Naenara, sets the flag's height-to-width ratio at 1:1.65, replacing the previous 1:2 ratio, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency.

The earlier proportions had remained unchanged since 1948, including during the country's constitutional revision in September 2023.

The flag's design remains unchanged, featuring a broad central red stripe, narrow white stripes above and below it, two blue stripes and a red five-pointed star inside a white circle.

According to the constitution, the red stripe represents the blood shed by anti-Japanese fighters during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

The white circle and stripes symbolize loyalty to the country's leadership and the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, while the blue stripes represent sovereignty and aspirations for peace, friendship and international unity.

The constitutional change comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seeks to establish a distinct governing style and national identity while preserving elements of his predecessors' legacies.

Observers cited by Yonhap suggested the revised proportions could reflect Pyongyang's efforts to develop a new national image under Kim, the country's third-generation hereditary ruler.