Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges
As such, they are culturally more important than Mao badges ever were,[1] and are a key part of North Korea's cult of personality.
[2] According to Jae-Cheon Lim, the badges are: [a] formative symbol depicting the North Korean leaders.
[5] It has been suggested by high-ranking defector Hwang Jang-yop that the Kapsan faction incident in 1967 triggered the systematic intensification of Kim Il Sung's cult of personality in general and the introduction of the badges in particular.
This batch of badges featured "a stern-looking portrait of Kim Il Sung with his mouth firmly closed".
[9] These badges were made a mandatory part of the attire of every North Korean from Kim's 60th birthday on 15 April 1972 onward,[8] when they came in three classes: for party members, one for adults, and one for students.
[10] The Kim Il Sung badge was redesigned after his death to feature a smiling portrait.
The very first round design in 1953 featured Kim Il Sung's side profile in military uniform, much like their Chinese counterparts.
[12] Badges with both leaders have been used by people traveling between regions as an item for bartering in the North Korean gray market.
[8] Respect for the badges is enshrined in the Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System, which mandate that they "must be treated with reverence and protected with utmost care".
[17] Badges have been smuggled out of the country for sale and can be found in Chinese cities in particular,[18] although selling them is illegal in China as well.
[9] There are atypical ways of wearing the badges that are considered fashionable by North Koreans, the youth in particular.
[7] One such way is to wear the badge at the very edge of one's garment,[18] for which children of upper-class families in Pyongyang in particular are known.
[22] Although it is mandatory and obligatory to wear a badge, North Korean officials sometimes claim that it is done out of pure loyalty.
[23] The size, shape, colouring, and type of metal of the design is indicative of the social status and institutional affiliations of the person wearing it.
The most prestigious type has both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il — there are three designs that feature them both: one with the two against a red banner; one with them over a North Korean flag (without a star) worn by high-ranking Chongryon; and one with them on a smaller, more curved flag with the words 청년전위 (meaning "Youth Potential") written under the portraits — this badge is worn by some members of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League.
[11] Depending on the badge, the leader is depicted in a Western suit, military attire, or some other type of clothing.
