North Korean web belts

[Boy Howdy]

I found these belts for sale on a well know auction site. Has anyone ever seen one before or know of a picture of one being worn? The ones I purchased are dated 1952. I have seen the prices all over the place. Thank you

[Samcheolli]

These belts are replicas. They are claimed by sellers to be produced by China for the Korean People's Army, but they're all modern fakes. There are a lot of problems with these belts, first being that they using laser engraving for the production year and factory stamps (digital fonts). And second, they use incorrect Chinese factory designations. 111 was not the factory name until the late 50s. There are multiple variants of these belts with different stamping but the problems are all the same.

[Boy Howdy]

Well, that's disappointing. Can you show me your reference material so I may present it to the seller?

[Boy Howdy]

I contacted the seller and he assured me these were authentic period surplus. Do you have any proof or facts to support your comments?

[Samcheolli]

6 hours ago, Boy Howdy said:

I contacted the seller and he assured me these were authentic period surplus. Do you have any proof or facts to support your comments?

I will send you some materials when I get home. Meanwhile, you can take a look at how many other fakes of these belts there are on sale in this Chinese website. Aside from the obviously digital font of the factory code and production year or artificial aging, some of the belts also use simplified Chinese characters when they did not even exist in the period they are allegedly produced in.

[Boy Howdy]

I tried to go on the website but it's all in Chinese and I have no idea how to get into the website.

I am getting warmer. I found a site where a guy is selling these for $65 per and actually says:

"I believe this item is made for the DPRK / North Korea by China for Korean war re enactments"

[Samcheolli]

On 2/6/2025 at 1:49 PM, Boy Howdy said:

I tried to go on the website but it's all in Chinese and I have no idea how to get into the website.

I am getting warmer. I found a site where a guy is selling these for $65 per and actually says:

"I believe this item is made for the DPRK / North Korea by China for Korean war re enactments"

Sorry for the delay, but here is the source I promised.

The link goes to Factory 111's (renamed to Factory 3521 in 1965) official website which introduces its own history. You can use Google Translate to understand it better. With that, I'd like to clarify that I initially misspoke and that Factory 111 was the name since 1953 and not the late 50s like I initially said. Chinese military factories had several naming formats and I misremembered. Either way, if your example is from 1952 and also marked as produced by 111 then it is most certainly not real. You can also take a look at this listing here with a belt produced in 1952, that buckle he displayed in the second picture is brand new, obviously just cast and plated. That, combined with the aforementioned problems of using simplified Chinese characters at a time they did not exist and using digital engraving should make it fairly obvious that these are fakes.

The Chinese website I sent you sells those belts for 10 USD or so after conversion. Here is another listing using the exact same photos you posted above, selling for 14 USD. I don't think these are made on behalf of the DPRK for reenactments or whatever, I think these are simply just modern fakes.

[Boy Howdy]

1 hour ago, Samcheolli said:

Sorry for the delay, but here is the source I promised.

The link goes to Factory 111's (renamed to Factory 3521 in 1965) official website which introduces its own history. You can use Google Translate to understand it better. With that, I'd like to clarify that I initially misspoke and that Factory 111 was the name since 1953 and not the late 50s like I initially said. Chinese military factories had several naming formats and I misremembered. Either way, if your example is from 1952 and also marked as produced by 111 then it is most certainly not real. You can also take a look at this listing here with a belt produced in 1952, that buckle he displayed in the second picture is brand new, obviously just cast and plated. That, combined with the aforementioned problems of using simplified Chinese characters at a time they did not exist and using digital engraving should make it fairly obvious that these are fakes.

The Chinese website I sent you sells those belts for 10 USD or so after conversion. Here is another listing using the exact same photos you posted above, selling for 14 USD. I don't think these are made on behalf of the DPRK for reenactments or whatever, I think these are simply just modern fakes.

Oh well, live and learn I guess. At least they will hold up my pants, I hope! LOL

Thank you for taking the time to respond and set this straight.

[Boy Howdy]

Now I'm even more confused.

 

I went to the first link It said factory 111 came into being in 1953. Well the buckles I was sent were dated 1953, factory 111.

The second sight described the belts as " Old goods,original 1953 Korean belt, anti-US and Korea copper buckle, thickened old press belt."

 

Nothing in either sight to indicated these are reproductions.

 

I found two sights where these are selling for well over $200USD each

 

Do you have any other references that refer to these as reproductions? 

 

As far as their like new condition, I have 60 year old brass Soviet belt buckles that look brand new. It just depends on how they were stored IMHO.

[Boy Howdy]

On 2/4/2025 at 1:43 PM, Samcheolli said:

These belts are replicas. They are claimed by sellers to be produced by China for the Korean People's Army, but they're all modern fakes. There are a lot of problems with these belts, first being that they using laser engraving for the production year and factory stamps (digital fonts). And second, they use incorrect Chinese factory designations. 111 was not the factory name until the late 50s. There are multiple variants of these belts with different stamping but the problems are all the same.

We've already agreed that factory 111 did, in fact, exist in 1953 and I have to say this looks like a stamped set of numbers to me. Does anyone else see these as stamped? I am sorry Samcheolli, but I am going to have to say these are authentic. I have seen no evidence to the contrary but I do appreciate you responding to my thread.

[Samcheolli]

On 2/22/2025 at 9:06 PM, Boy Howdy said:

Now I'm even more confused.

 

I went to the first link It said factory 111 came into being in 1953. Well the buckles I was sent were dated 1953, factory 111.

The second sight described the belts as " Old goods,original 1953 Korean belt, anti-US and Korea copper buckle, thickened old press belt."

 

Nothing in either sight to indicated these are reproductions.

 

I found two sights where these are selling for well over $200USD each

 

Do you have any other references that refer to these as reproductions? 

 

As far as their like new condition, I have 60 year old brass Soviet belt buckles that look brand new. It just depends on how they were stored IMHO.

Of course it says they're original, the second site is essentially a Chinese version of Amazon / eBay. Anyone can say and sell whatever they want.

If you read what I wrote and looked at the other listings I've provided you, you can see the exact same font and engraving as yours but dated 1952 (which I will kindly attach), when the factory did not adopt the 111 name. Finding websites selling these for over 200 dollar doesn't add any credibility to the argument that they're real. I've already sent listings that uses the exact images you posted selling for 10-15 USD. I've already stated many times that these batches of "wartime" belts contain a variety of other problems like simplified Chinese characters when they did not exist AND having digital Chinese fonts. I can promise you that as a Chinese and native Chinese speaker, this is an issue. If they are genuine, I wonder how these Chinese sellers can afford to keep selling these belts at such a low price? Surely supply must have dwindled after all these years? While I do agree that some items from storage may be exceptionally well kept, I think it is quite obvious the belt head in the second picture I attached is a modern production. I mean, just look at it?

At the end of the day, you may come to your own conclusion regarding their authenticity. I've said what I wanted to (several times) about their many issues and if you wish to continue to believe they're authentic, that is your right to do so. Do remember that I'm only try to help and I gain nothing from this. Sellers will say whatever they can to get you to buy their wares. If you're dead set on their authenticity, why not buy one for 10-15 bucks in the links I've sent instead of 200+ USD? Least I can do is save you some money, right?

[Samcheolli]

The fact that there are almost two dozen listings from all over China selling several hundreds of these belts in bulk within each listing for 10-15 bucks each also isn't suspicious at all, right?

[Boy Howdy]

You have made many valid points.

I must now concede and say that these must be of modern production and are in fact not period items.

I want to thank you for all the time and effort you have put into your research.

You are a great asset to this forum and I hope I can reach out to you in the future if I have any questions regarding Chinese Militaria.

Thanks again!

 

PS: can you send me a link to some of those web sites? My belt does a great job holding up my trousers! lol