Award Documents for North Korean Awards

[Bill Dienna]

I'm curious as to whether anyone has any insight into the strange, indeed inexplicable, award documentation for the DPRK?

I understand that Paul Schmitt, co-author of the book on Soviet awards, has been working on a volume on the DPRK awards, and he may well have gained some knowledge about this subject, but since I've no idea when that book might be forthcoming I thought that I would pose the question here.

I have seen DPRK decorations of the early, Soviet-made period that were both numbered and unnumbered.

I have also seen later orders, of DPRK production, that were similarly both numbered and unnumbered.

The usual DPRK award book seems to have a fairly standard format, at least so far as I have seen. One page contains a space for a photo of the recipient (though I've not yet seen one containing a photo). To the right of the photo area is a line for a "Number" to be inserted. I am presuming that this is a number for the award document itself. Curiously, I have observed award documents of this style being offered for sale in which the number at this location has been removed.

Below this we have the recipient's name, birth date, and birthplace, as well as his or her affiliation (such as member of the Korean People's Army).

On the next page is a "table" sort of chart, in which the awards are listed.This includes a space for the serial number of the award itself to be recorded, though one rarely appears.

Does anyone have a clue as to what the rhyme or reason (if any) there is in this system?

Award documents themselves are numbered, but not the awards? (Except, of course, when they are numbered!)

And some award documents contain all of the personal information, but the award document number has been removed?

And, supposedly, according to some sellers, a document that is being offered with a numbered Order is the original document for the award, although the document is numbered (next to the photo), and the Order is numbered, but the number from the reverse of the Order does not appear in the award book!

As that fellow in "The Far Side" cartoon used to say: "What the hey...?"

[Stogieman]

Hi Bill! If you do a search within this forum you'll see several examples of award booklets. Some with translations posted courtesy of a member stationed in South Korea.

Hope you are well!

[Bill Dienna]

Thanks, Rick.

I presume that you're referring to the thread you created with two award documents?

That sort of highlights my confusion on this subject.

For example, the award document for your DPRK Foundation Order...

That Order appears to have a space on the reverse for numbering the award. Obviously, yours was not numbered.

But your document does have a line at the top of the page on the viewer's left for a (award certificate?) number to be written in. In fact, it appears that, like other such documents that I have seen, your award book did in fact have a number filled in that was later removed.

As I say...this is thoroughly perplexing to me.

I did put the question to a collector in Asia who replied by saying, essentially, "It's North Korea. Who knows why they do anything up there?"

Edited July 14, 2009 by Bill Dienna

[Bob]

I posted a doc I have on GMIC as well - it was an award to a Belarussian person and it did come with a photograph in the booklet.

Don't have the link, but it's there:)

Perhaps you could also post in the thread in support of a DPRK forum?