The flag of North Korea was adopted on 8 September 1948, as the national flag and ensign.

The flag was adopted when the northern portion of Korea became a communist state supported by the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union following the Korean Revolution and the surrender of the Empire of Japan. The colors of the Korean Empire flag were white, blue, and a pale shade of red bordering on orange. North Korea retained these colors for its new flag, with more prominence given to the red, per communist symbology, and added a red star on a white disk.