Towards the end of 1947, Kim Il Sung decided to establish a republican constitution, National Flag and National Emblem for Korea. Later, in January of 1948, Kim Il Sung visited a government building and told the artists working there that "The National Emblem must have the working class at its core and be based on the alliance between workers and farmers to consolidate the unity of the people, and must be drawn to clearly express powerful modern industry, advanced agriculture and development". A few days later he also asked for a 5-pointed red star to be included inside the white circle of the National Flag.

As the National Flag and the National Emblem were completed, anti-communist counter revolutionary elements demanded that Kyongbok palace of the Yi Dynasty be included the the National Emblem. Kim Il Sung crushed the counter revolutionaries and directed the artists to "Show the future wealth, power and prosperity of the New Korea by drawing our Hydro-electric plant", on the National Symbol. In this way the Korean National Flag and National Emblem were introduced to the world.

The Korean National Emblem, which says 'People's Democratic Republic of Korea' on a red sash that wrap around ears of rice to form a crest around a magnificent Hydro-electric plant, a mountain sacred to the revolution known as Baegdu-san, and a brilliant red 5 sided star. The light emitting from the star symbolizes the revolutionary tradition, and the bright future of the Korean People. The Hydro-electric plant symbolizes a powerful heavy industry, an self-reliant modern manufacturing industry, and the working class. The ears of rice represents the unity of the farmers with the working class.

The Hydro-electric plant that Japan left in North Korea was a great legacy. This kind of infrastructure was a first for North Korea at that time, and Koreans were unable to even start a project of this scale. Looking at this fact, it would seem that North Korea is unable to suggest that Japan contributed nothing to its development.