Chollima Honour Badge.

[CtahhR]

I just got myself one of these in pretty good condition (seen some in really bad shape) for only $33. Obviously the market doesn't require any more at the moment. Specially not for $300+ prices!

[Will]

In going through one of my DPRK-published books recently I found a photo of a group of officials standing in front of a small foundry. Mounted above the doorway was a representation of the Cholima badge, just in the same way that a Soviet factory might have displayed a large Red Banner of Labor if the factory itself had received the award.

So I'm thinking that we're probably correct in presuming that the Cholima Honor award was an economic / industrial award for a program that didn't work.

And it would seem to me that it would be typical of the DPRK to make the award not only to a factory or workshop as a unit, but to everyone in it as well. This would account for the number of these awards showing up in the marketplace.

[CtahhR]

It would be very very obscure if only national institutions were awarded the "badge" who would wear it? Kim Jong-Il? It does make sense that every worker at the particular institution (that also had an outstanding record) received the badge.

[Will]

Originally Posted by CtahhR

It would be very very obscure if only national institutions were awarded the "badge" who would wear it? Kim Jong-Il? It does make sense that every worker at the particular institution (that also had an outstanding record) received the badge.

Well, not really. In the Soviet Union it was the practice to award an Order to a group or organization without giving the award individually to every member of the group. For example, Pravda was the recipient of the Red Banner of Labor and the picture of the Order appeared on its masthead, but that did not mean that every member on the staff received an individual award. Similarly, there were entire military units, ships, fleets, and even cities, that received decorations such as the Order of the Red Banner, but the award was displayed by being pined to the unit flag on its presentation and, later, by a particular streamer on the flag, while the award to a city would be represented by a display of the award in the City Hall. Not every member of the military unit or city citizen received the award.

[Will]

My personal belief is that the Cholima Honor Badge was awarded during a period in which the DPRK was attempting to move dramatically forward with economic and industrial conditions. The Cholima is a mythical horse that can cover an enormous distance with a single stride, which is what the DPRK was attempting to do. I think it was the DPRK's version of Mao's "Great Leap forward" program.

I believe that things did not go well with the effort. Therefore, if the Cholima badges were awarded for a modernization effort that turned out badly, the badges themselves may have become "honor non grata". Why acknowledge an award for a program that was a disaster? It becomes a reminder of a bad idea.

And in the DPRK, the government does not have bad ideas !
:chuckle

Additionally, if Ebay is any indication, then either the Cholima badge is less rare than we thought, or there are just not that many DPRK collectors out there.
I think it's probably a combination of both factors.

The last several Cholima badges on Ebay have sold in the range of $75 - $80.