History Talk - North Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) led by a single-party state, the Korean Workers' Party. After independence as a Communist state its national flag with the red star symbolising communism was adopted in 1948. The two blue stripes resemble peace, friendship and sovereignty and the white stripes purity.

Following the end of 35 years of Japanese colonial rules over Korea in 1945, the peninsula of the once joined state of Korea was divided into South and North Korea. Each state has since developed a distinct contemporary form of the once shared traditional culture.

North Korea is also known for its artistic traditions in pottery, music, calligraphy, and other genres, using bold colours, natural forms, and surface decorations. Korean painting, ink painting on

A special style of Korean ink painting on paper demands that the artist draw from start to finish without stopping. He cannot correct or draw over what he has painted. This style requires great skill and takes from 10 - 20 years of training.

Football is a very popular sport in North Korea with domestic leagues for both men and women. The national football team of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association.

North Korea is very famous for the so called "mass games", exhibitions where thousands of North Koreans perform highly choreographed dances, especially traditional dances and gymnastics, often in simultaneous rhythms of movement.