North Korea National Anthem
애국가
Aegukka
Patriotic Song
1947
1947
Pak Se-yong
Kim Won-gyun
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Key Facts
- 1. North and South Korea both called their anthems 'Aegukka' (Patriotic Song), though the music and lyrics are entirely different. In 2024 North Korea dropped the shared name, a move read as part of Kim Jong Un's policy of treating the two Koreas as separate states
- 2. Unusually for North Korea, the anthem makes no reference to the Kim dynasty or the Workers' Party of Korea
- 3. The anthem references Korea's legendary 5,000-year history, a claim shared by both North and South Korea
- 4. In February 2024 a line of the first verse was changed: 'three thousand ri', a traditional name for the whole Korean Peninsula, was replaced with 'this world'
North Korea National Anthem Lyrics
아침은 빛나라 이 강산
은금에 자원도 가득한
이 세상 아름다운 내 조국
반만년 오랜 력사에
찬란한 문화로 자라난
슬기론 인민의 이 영광
몸과 맘 다 바쳐 이 조선
길이 받드세
백두산 기상을 다 안고
근로의 정신은 깃들어
진리로 뭉쳐진 억센 뜻
온 세계 앞서 나가리
솟는 힘 노도도 내밀어
인민의 뜻으로 선 나라
한없이 부강하는 이 조선
길이 빛내세
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialNorth Korea's anthem, adopted in 1947, was long known as 'Aegukka' ('Patriotic Song'), the same name as the South Korean anthem, though the two are completely different compositions. Since April 2024 North Korea has called it the 'National Anthem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea'. Notably, the anthem does not mention the Kim family or the Workers' Party.
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Sources & References
- National Symbols of the DPRK, ch. 4 "National Anthem" (English text; words by Pak Se Yong, May 1947; music by Kim Won Gyun) . Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang (mirror: KFA USA) (2019)
- 북한 애국가도 고쳤다···'삼천리' 대신 '이 세상' . 시사주간 (2024)
Source & Review
- Source status
- Wikipedia source
- Translation
- AI-assisted working translation
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- Last reviewed
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- Nationalia
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