Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges

emblem on a jacket The inspiration for the badges were Chairman Mao badges worn by the Chinese during the Cultural Revolution, although North Korean propaganda attributes the idea to Kim Jong Il. 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. Badges bearing the portrait of Kim Il Sung first appeared in the late 1960s when the Mansudae Art Studio started making them for Workers' Party of Korea cadres, who started wearing them after the Kapsan faction incident. Mass-production followed in November 1970, after a decree by Kim Il Sung. The very first badges with portraits were produced by the party's Propaganda and Agitation Department. This batch of badges featured "a stern-looking portrait of Kim Il Sung with his mouth firmly closed". They were called "Party Badges" because only party officials would wear them, but ordinary North Koreans could also illegally buy them in hopes of a higher social status. These badges were made a mandatory part of the attire of every North Korean from Kim's 60th birthday on 15 April 1972 onward, when they came in three classes: for party members, one for adults, and one for students. The Kim Il Sung badge was redesigned after his death to feature a smiling portrait. Badges with both leaders have been used by people traveling between regions as an item for bartering in the North Korean gray market. Previously, methamphetamine was used for bartering before various crackdowns made the practice hard. Badges eventually replaced drugs despite falling prices. In Pyongyang, too, where money and prized items are in short supply, the badges have value. ==Wearing==

Virtually all North Koreans wear the badges. North Koreans begin wearing the badges at 16 years old. The badges are placed above their Korean Children's Union badges. 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. 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, Yanbian. Most badges found outside of the country are counterfeits, 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 and obligatory to wear a badge, North Korean officials sometimes claim that it is done out of pure loyalty. The badges are not worn on some occasions such as entering places of worship. North Koreans traveling or working abroad almost never wear the badges when not on official business. ==Types==

and Kim Jong Il is the most prestigious type. The badges are designed and made by the Mansudae Art Studio. worn by Jo Yong-won. Such badges are only given out to high ranking WPK cadres. The badges come in different shapes and sizes. Unlike in China, where Chairman Mao badges were diverse because their production was not overseen by the government, North Korean badges have relatively little variation. All in all, there are more than 20 different designs. 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. For instance, party youths wear large round badges, whereas common people wear smaller round badges. While most badges only feature a portrait of Kim Il Sung, there are two exceptions. 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 (meaning "Youth Potential") written under the portraits — this badge is worn by some members of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League. No other designs feature both leaders. The design is reserved to high-level Workers' Party of Korea officials only. It is so rare that seeing one "can send many a minor North Korean bureaucrat into a stupor". The other exception is badges with the portrait of Kim Jong Il only. They are worn by security services cadres and are also considerably rare. Depending on the badge, the leader is depicted in a Western suit, military attire, or some other type of clothing. Before Kim Jong Un was confirmed as Kim Jong Il's successor and Kim Jong Chol was groomed as the country's next leader, a limited set of Kim Jong Chol badges were reportedly made and given to cabinet, party, and army officials. Since the Tenth Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, certain party officials were seen wearing Kim Jong Un badges to the exclusion of the traditional Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badge. ==See also==