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Korean People's Army Air Force (North Korea)

Obverse

image by Miles Li, 27 December 2014

Reverse

image by Miles Li, 05 February 2013

Description
Previously Reported Variant
Air Force Aircraft Markings

See also:

Description

This flag is all light blue, but with the same star symbol as on the KPAN and KPA flags in the same location, the same gold Hangul inscriptions along the top and bottom edges of the flag, and the same "4.25" in gold in roughly the same location as the other two flags.
Randy Young, 09 February 2005

Actually there are three sky blue and three dark blue stripes near the bottom of the flag, so that the dark blue at the bottom of the flag is as wide as the dark blue at the bottom of the national flag; the three sky blue and three dark blue stripes are as wide as the white stripes on the national flag.
Miles Li, 11 February 2005

Note the additional winged star emblem, as worn on Soviet and North Korean Air Force officer's peaked caps.
Miles Li, 25 September 2009

Note that the air force emblem should have no wreath, but should be topped by a winged star. The mottoes read: "The Unification and Independence of the Motherland" (top) and "For the Freedom and Liberation of the People" (bottom).
Miles Li, 11 December 2011

The unit names are written in Hangul on the reverse side. All the colours have yellow fringes, cords and tassels, and are borne on red flagpoles with brass spearhead finials.
Miles Li, 07 November 2012

Apparently the North Korean Air Force has recently modified its flag - namely, on the obverse side the winged star above the cockade has been removed, replaced with wings beneath the cockade.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/20/world/asia/north-korea-sony-response/
Miles Li, 22 December 2014

Oops... I didn't even get the hangul of Kim Jong-Il's name right! (Prease forgive me, dear leader...)
Since these 'new type' flags attached here bear the name of the late leader, the North Korean military is apparently reverting to the 'old type' flags described sometime ago.
Miles Li, 22 December 2014

The upper one reads: "Revolutionary leaders headed by great comrade Kim Jong Il" The lower one reads: "Let's defend them to the death!"
The same Hangul inscription appears on the other military flags. They are exactly same as the inscriptions appeared in the images of previously reported variants.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 26 December 2014

Previous Flag Variants

image by Miles Li, 06 February 2013

Light blue over blue, with three blue stripes charged with air force emblem towards hoist. Hangul inscription in yellow on blue stripes:

Revolutionary leaders headed by great comrade Kim Jong Il
Let's defend them to the death!

The date "4.25" in yellow in the upper hoist; Apr 25th is the memorial day of the foundation of a forerunner of the Korean People's Army, the People's Revolutionary Army (founded on Apr 25th 1932).
Reverse: national flag with yellow fringe and Workers Party of Korea emblem towards hoist instead of the red star. Same Hangul inscription as above 2 and without "4.25"
Source: video footage of 2003 North Korean military parade in Pyonygang
Nozomi Kariyasu, 22 September 2009

image by Miles Li, 05 November 2014

Here are my further improved flag images of North Korean military flags. The Hangul writings are improved, and in the case of the Air Force flag, the colour of the stripes are corrected.
Just to avoid ambiguation - The mottoes read: "The Unification and Independence of the Motherland" (top) and "For the Freedom and Liberation of the People" (bottom).
The hangul writings read: "Korean Worker's Party's Revolutionary Armed Forces" (top), "Korean People's Army No. 425 Unit" (bottom).
The "425" refers to April 25, 1932, the day of the Korean People's Army's foundation. On this photo the parade featured numerous Army flags, all bearing the No. 425 Unit designation. Very strange.
Miles Li, 04 & 05 February 2013

The Hangul writings mean: "Revolutionary leaders headed by great comrade Kim Jong Il" (top) "Let us defend them to the death!" (bottom).
My apology to Jaume Olle for superseding his flag images - the Hangul writings need to be fixed. And my apology to Nozomi Kariyasu - I have doubt about the existence of the reverse side variant with the abovementioned mottoes, since I have not seen any photo evidence of that.
Miles Li, 06 February 2013

Air Force Aircraft Markings

North Korean People's Army Air force roundel & fin flash 1948-

images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 22 June 2024

White disk bordered blue-white-red containing a red five-pointed star.
Željko Heimer, 27 May 2001

The Roundels of the World published in Beijing in April 2001 by Defense Force Publishing shows the North Korean roundel having a red five-pointed star bordered red-white-dark blue but the circle is about two times wide as picture in Album 2000.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 31 October 2003

North Korean People's Army Air force roundel variant 1948-

images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 22 June 2024