During the July 24, 2026 edition of the CTV program Azaryonok. Napryamuyu, political analyst Aliaksei Audonin spoke about his trip to North Korea as part of a delegation from the Communist Party of Belarus. He specifically mentioned a gift from his North Korean hosts — a double portrait pin featuring images of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
“Our Korean friends,comrades presented us all with a pin. It features Kim Il Sung, the leader of Korea. Why did they do this? These pins may only be worn by very high-ranking officials in North Korea. They entrusted us with them and gave us these badges of distinction, showing that they understand we are committed to carrying out the tasks set by the president under the agreement signed with the DPRK,” Audonin said.
He was referring to the so-called “double portrait” lapel pin, featuring Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il against the backdrop of a large red flag. North Koreans often wear lapel pins bearing images of their leaders. In North Korea, these badges symbolize loyalty to the country’s leadership. The double portrait pin is just one of many similar symbols.
North Korea remains one of the most closed countries in the world. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to verify the status of such lapel pins through local official sources. However, reports from foreign media outlets and visual evidence call Audonin’s statements into question.
According to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, this double portrait pin was considered the most prestigious in the 1990s and 2000s. Top party officials and generals wore it. However, after Kim Jong Il’s death, the double portrait pins were distributed much more widely. By 2022, nearly everyone had one.
South Korean media outlets have also published similar reports. As early as April 2012, it was reported that the double portrait pins were being worn not only by top party leaders but also by officers from frontline military units, television announcers, and store managers. At the time, reports indicated that the authorities were preparing to distribute such lapel pins to ordinary citizens. Reports emerged in 2014 indicating that double portrait pins were already being traded illegally on the black market.
Photographs of North Korean citizens also confirm this. These badges can be seen not only on senior officials, but also on North Korean traffic controllers, young female military personnel, and teachers. Similar badges are spotted on the clothing of North Korean residents who occasionally appear in videos taken by tourists.
Theoretically, some of these people could hold leadership positions in their respective fields. However, these examples disprove the claim that only high-ranking North Korean officials wear the double portrait pin.
