The Red Flag 5000-8/1 (붉은기, Pulg'ŭn'gi) is a class of universal mainline electric locomotives built by the Kim Chong-t'ae Electric Locomotive Works for the Korean State Railway.
In 1981, the Korean State Railway took delivery of seven Francorail-MTE CSE26-21 diesel locomotives from France, followed by five more in 1985.
[2][page needed] Due to oil shortages in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was decided to develop a new electric locomotive based on these diesels.
[3] Apparently intended as a replacement for the Red Flag 1-class locomotives, these locomotives, of which at least 41 have been built, incorporate components copied from the original French parts.
Used for mainline passenger and freight service, they are painted in the standard light blue over dark green livery, or its newer light green/dark green variant.