The ''Juche'' calendar, named after the ''
Juche
''Juche'' ( ; ), officially the ''Juche'' idea (), is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il-sung, the country's founder and ...
'' ideology, is the system of year-numbering used in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. It begins with the birth of
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
, the founder of North Korea. His birth year, 1912 in the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
, is "''Juche'' 1" in the ''Juche'' calendar. The calendar was adopted in 1997, three years after the
death of Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung died of a sudden heart attack on the early morning of 8 July 1994 at age 82. North Korea's government did not report the death for more than 34 hours after it occurred. An official mourning period was declared from 8–17 July, du ...
.
History
The calendar borrows elements from two historical calendars used in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, the traditional system of
Korean era names and the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
in which years are tied to the traditional birth of
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
. In contrast to these two, the ''Juche'' calendar begins with the birth of the founder of the Democratic People's Republic,
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
.
The decree on the ''Juche'' calendar was adopted on 8 July 1997, on the third anniversary of the
death of Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung died of a sudden heart attack on the early morning of 8 July 1994 at age 82. North Korea's government did not report the death for more than 34 hours after it occurred. An official mourning period was declared from 8–17 July, du ...
. The same decree also designated the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung as the
Day of the Sun
The Day of the Sun () is an annual public holiday in North Korea on 15 April, the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, founder and Eternal President of North Korea. It is the most important national holiday in the country, and is considered to b ...
. The birth year of Kim Il-sung, 1912 in the Gregorian calendar, became "''Juche'' 1" in the North Korean calendar.
Thus, the current year, , is "''Juche'' ", the next year, , will be "''Juche'' ", and so on.
The calendar began to be implemented on 9 September 1997, the
Day of the Foundation of the Republic
Day of the Foundation of the Republic () is the Republic Day and National day of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, held on 9 September.
The Day of the Foundation of the Republic is one of the most important holidays of the country, al ...
.
On that date, newspapers, news agencies, radio stations, public transport, and birth certificates began to use ''Juche'' years.
Usage
The year 1912 is "''Juche'' 1" in the North Korean calendar. There are no "before ''Juche''" years; years before 1912 are given numbers based on the Gregorian calendar only. Ranges of years that begin before 1912 and end after it are also given in Christian calendar numbers only.
Any other years after 1912 will be given in either ''Juche'' years only, or in ''Juche'' years and the corresponding year in the Christian calendar in parentheses. In material pertaining to relations with foreign countries, "the ''Juche'' Era and the Christian Era may be used on the principles of independence, equality and reciprocity."
The ''Juche'' calendar is a popular
souvenir
A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...
among tourists visiting North Korea.
Examples
See also
*
Public holidays in North Korea
This is a list of public holidays in North Korea. See also the Korean calendar for a list of traditional holidays. , the North Korean calendar has 71 official public holidays, including Sundays. In the past, North Koreans relied on rations provide ...
*
Republic of China calendar
The Republic of China calendar, often shortened to the ROC calendar or the ''Minguo'' calendar, is a calendar used in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. The calendar uses 1912, the year of the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC), as ...
, currently used in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, whose year numbers match those of the ''Juche'' calendar (for unrelated reasons).
* The years in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's
Taishō era
The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of ...
(30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926) also coincided with those of the ''Juche'' calendar.
References
External links
Example of "''Juche'' 103 (2014)"from
Pyongyang University of Science and Technology
Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) is North Korea's first privately funded university. It is founded, operated, and partly funded by associations and people outside the country. PUST was jointly planned and constructed by forc ...
{{calendars
1997 introductions
North Korean culture
Calendars
Modified Gregorian calendars
1997 establishments in North Korea