Editing Flag of North Korea (section)

== Notable uses ==

=== In North Korean propaganda ===
The North Korean flag is frequently used in [[Propaganda in North Korea|state propaganda]]. For example, propaganda posters often include the national flag, but it is depicted less prominently than symbols of ''[[Juche]]'', North Korea's state ideology attributed to Kim Il Sung. American scholar Carter Matherly argues that this is meant to symbolise national unity under the guidance of ''Juche''.{{sfn|Matherly|2019|p=102}} Massive North Korean flags are also displayed during the [[Arirang Mass Games]] in Pyongyang. One such display is made by thousands of people holding up coloured cards.{{sfn|The Guardian|2015}}{{sfn|Burnett|2013|p=18}}

The North Korean village of [[Kijong-dong]], near the [[Military Demarcation Line]] and within the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]], is the location of a {{convert|600|lbs|kg|order=flip|adj=on|sigfig=3}} North Korean flag which flies from a {{convert|525|ft|m|order=flip|adj=on|abbr=off|sigfig=3}} flagpole. It was constructed in response to the South Korean side's raising of a {{convert|300|lbs|kg|order=flip|adj=on|sigfig=3}} flag on a {{convert|323|ft|m|order=flip|adj=on|abbr=off|sigfig=2}} flagpole in [[Daeseong-dong]].{{sfn|Tan|2018}}{{sfn|Bonnett|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=HyQeAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT104 104]}}{{sfn|Potts|1999}}

{{Gallery
| align = center
| File:Mansudae Assembly Hall 03 (cropped).JPG | The North Korean flag flying atop [[Mansudae Assembly Hall]]
| File:Dprk pyongyang chuche monument 05.jpg | A North Korean flag flies near the ''[[Juche Tower]]'' in Pyongyang
| File:North Korea-Pyongyang-Arirang Mass Games-03.jpg | A massive North Korean flag at the Arirang Mass Games
| File:Gijeong-ri Flag.jpg | The North Korean flag flying on the [[Kijong-dong#Flagpole|{{convert|525|ft|m|order=flip|adj=on|abbr=off|sigfig=3}} flagpole]] in Kijong-dong
}}

=== In South Korea ===
It is illegal to carry or raise the North Korean flag in South Korea; the country's [[National Security Act (South Korea)|National Security Act]] prohibits actions that may be interpreted as pro-communist.{{sfn|Rutherford|2014}}{{sfn|Nutley|2018}} However, exceptions have been made for film and television productions, as well as regional and international sports competitions.{{sfn|Nutley|2018}}{{sfn|Lee|2006}} During the [[2002 Asian Games]] in [[Busan]], the North Korean flag was permitted to fly at five locations: the Busan Asian Games Organizing Committee, the event's main hotel, the press center, the athletes' village, and the conference room for representatives of participating countries. Nationals of all countries, including North Korea, were not permitted to carry North Korean flags.{{sfn|Kim|2002}} A volunteer raised the North Korean flag at the formal ceremonies of the [[2014 Asian Games]] in [[Incheon]]; every other competing country's flag was raised by a South Korean soldier.{{sfn|Kim|2014}}{{sfn|Park|2014}} The North Korean flag was flown at event venues during the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] in [[Pyeongchang County|Pyeongchang]]. However, the North Korean flag was not raised at the [[Pyeongchang Olympic Village]] during a public welcoming ceremony for competing countries. Instead, it was raised there at midnight, a day after the other competing countries' flags had already been raised. An official from the [[PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games|Pyeongchang Olympic Organizing Committee]] explained that the decision was made to avoid causing controversy over possibly violating the National Security Act.{{sfn|Nutley|2018}}{{sfn|Kang|2018}} Anti-North Korea protesters burned the North Korean flag in front of the Olympic stadium hours before the games' opening ceremony.{{sfn|Reuters|2018}}

=== Outside of Korea ===
The North Korean flag has been mistakenly used by a number of international organisations to represent South Korea. The organising committee of the [[2003 Winter Universiade]] accidentally displayed the North Korean flag while explaining the accommodations for South Korean athletes. In 2008, the [[Asian Football Confederation]] used the North Korean flag in a post on its website about South Korea's previous hosting of the tournament. In 2023, the official website of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the [[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]] displayed the North Korean flag for South Korea in its list of participants.{{sfn|Kim|2023}}

The North Korean flag has also been used to insult or mock South Koreans online. For example, South Korean [[taekwondo]] athlete [[Park Tae-joon (taekwondo)|Park Tae-joon]]'s social media posts received numerous comments with North Korean flag emojis in them after he won gold at the [[2024 Summer Olympics]].{{sfn|Kim|2024}}