page_title: Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il badges
section_title: Wearing
hierarchical_section_title: Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il badges / Wearing
caption_attribution_description: Deputy Manager of External Affairs of the Korean National Travel Administration, Chol Man Ri. A very fine and humbling experience. Traveled With Young Pioneer Tours.
context_page_description: Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il badges are lapel pins with portraits of the eternal leaders of North Korea, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. They have been made since the late 1960s. The badges are produced by the Mansudae Art Studio. There are more than 20 different designs, some of which are more sought-after than others. Ordinary North Koreans wear simple designs with a portrait of Kim Il-sung, whereas those higher up in the society prefer badges that have both Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il portrayed.
  The badges were inspired by Chairman Mao badges. Unlike their Chinese counterparts, which were never compulsory to wear, the North Korean badges have been a mandatory part of the attire for most of their history. As such, they are culturally more important than Mao badges ever were, and are a key part of North Korea's cult of personality. According to Jae-Cheon Lim, the badges are:
  [a] formative symbol depicting the North Korean leaders. ... Wearing a leader badge is an identity symbol showing that North Koreans belong to their leader, thus distinguishing themselves from foreign citizens. Unlike other leader symbols, the badge is portable. ...
context_section_description: Virtually all North Koreans wear the badges. North Koreans start to wear the badges when they turn 12 years old. It is placed above their Korean Children's Union badges. Citizens above the age of 16 are required to wear the badges whenever they leave home.
  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". If someone is caught outside their home without a badge, they are faced with explaining themselves at the next mutual criticism session. The badges are given to eligible North Koreans for free, and are acquired through one's workplace or school. Losing, or selling, a badge results in one having to prove that they have lost the badge without a malicious intent before they are given a new one. Lacking a badge has also been associated with transgression because sometimes people who professed "anti-Kim" behavior had their badges confiscated.
  A North Korean may own several different badges that they have attained at different stages of their life, two or three on average, but some have many more.
  The badges are usually not sold to tourists, but can be conferred upon them for loyalty. Recently, badges have been smuggled out of the country for sale and can be found in Chinese cities in particular, although selling them is illegal in China as well. Both authentic and counterfeit badges are sold in Tumen. Most badges found outside of the country are counterfeits, such as those regularly on sale in Dandong. As of late, badges have been known to be for sale to foreigners in North Korea as well. In the future, the badges are anticipated to become veritable collector's items.
  The badges are worn on inner garments only, either on the lapel or a shirt, but not on outwear coats. Usually, the badges are worn on the left side of a garment, over the heart. There are atypical ways of wearing the badges that are considered fashionable by North Koreans, the youth in particular. Schoolchildren and teenagers use the badges to "perk up" their uniforms. One such way is to wear the badge at the very edge of one's garment, for which children of upper-class families in Pyongyang in particular are known.
  Although it is mandatory to wear a badge, North Korean officials sometimes claim that it is done out of pure loyalty. Most North Koreans simply prefer to wear them because it is much safer to do so. The badges are taken off on certain rare occasions, such as when entering a place of worship.
  North Koreans traveling abroad also almost always wear the badges, for which they are sometimes ridiculed by foreigners.
caption: Foreigners being awarded Kim Il-sung badges at the Yanggakdo International Hotel
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