June 2021
North Korean Sports Poster Series | 6
The North Korean Sports Poster Series is a collection of sports-related North Korean propaganda posters. Koryo Studio delves into the symbolism and the slogan.
English translations provided.
Title: For Labor and National Defense! // 로동과 국방을 위하여!
Banners: August – September are the months for assessing people’s physical fitness. // 8-9 월은 인민체력검정월간이다.
Artist: Kye Sang Hua // 계상화
Other: Korean Workers’ Party Press, Pyongyang Comprehensive Printing Factory; “발행 조선로동당출판사 인쇄 평양종합인쇄공장”
Year: N/A
North Korean Sports Poster
“For Labor and National Defense!”
The Artwork Background
An original poster, hand painted original in gouache, by the master of sports posters, artist Kye Sang Hua.
The poster is set up and ready for printing and the poster information in the white border has been added. However, over the years, a number of the glued characters and numbers have parted company from the artwork and we cannot see the date.
The inclusion of the Ryugyong Hotel in the industrial background would probably place the poster in the late 80s early 90s. This would be before construction grounds to a halt and the hotel was no longer something of an embarrassment and rarely included in artworks.
Artwork Style
Note: Trainers as opposed to the blue pumps from earlier sports poster images.
This poster has a more progressive style than earlier works. The runner is depicted in a side profile in keeping with the stylised ‘signage’ logos depicting running, long-jump, relay, high jump, swimming, grenade throwing and javelin, and horizontal bar.
KOREAN TRANSLATION
달리기, 너비뛰기, 계주, 높이뛰기, 수영, 공던지기, 철봉.
