Time in North Korea

Before modern clocks were introduced into [[Korea]], Koreans kept time with the help of a [[sundial]] during the daytime and a [[water clock]] at night. In 1434, [[Chang Yŏngsil]], a [[Joseon]] scientist and astronomer with other scientists, developed Korea's first sundial, Angbu Ilgu ({{korean|hangul=앙부일구|hanja=仰釜日晷|context=north|labels=no}}) and was put into service as standard time-keeper of the kingdom and began the standard time at Hanyang ([[Seoul]]) which was calculated to be UTC+08:27:52.A Bridge between Conceptual Frameworks: Sciences, Society and Technology Studies edited by Raffaele Pisano In 1442, Chiljeongsan, an astronomical calendar system that was created during the reign of [[Sejong the Great|King Sejong]] used Hanyang (Seoul) local time as its standard as it overcame the limitations of previous-made calendars.{{Cite web |url=http://jkas.kas.org/journals/2012v45n4/v45n4p085_kwlee.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 September 2016 |archive-date=7 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007223228/http://jkas.kas.org/journals/2012v45n4/v45n4p085_kwlee.pdf |url-status=dead }} The [[Korean Empire]] adopted a standard time of {{frac|8|1|2}} hours ahead of UTC ([[UTC+08:30]]), which is similar to Pyongyang Standard Time, around the beginning of the 20th century. Some sources claim 1908,{{cite news |title=Turning back the clock: North Korea creates Pyongyang Standard Time |editor-first=Paul |editor-last=Tait |work=Reuters |date=6 August 2015 |access-date=7 August 2015 |first1=Tony |last1=Munroe |first2=Jack |last2=Kim |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-time-idUSKCN0QC04P20150807 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809212635/http://reuters.com/article/2015/08/07/us-northkorea-time-idUSKCN0QC04P20150807 |archive-date=9 August 2015 |url-status=live }} others claim 1912{{cite book |last=Ts'ai |first=Hui-yu Caroline |title=Taiwan in Japan's Empire-Building: An Institutional Approach to Colonial Engineering |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X0yruIa2hVwC&pg=PA97 |year=2009 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-88875-9 |page=97 |lccn=2008018374 |oclc=227205710 |quote=After Japan took over Taiwan in 1895, the new empire was divided into two standard time zones: central and western; .... In 1912, Korea adopted the central time zone as a result of its merger with Japan in 1910.}} and yet another claims that mean local standard time was used prior to 1908 and that [[UTC+08:30]] was used from 1 April 1908 to 31 December 1911 and again from 21 March 1954 to 9 August 1961.{{cite book |last1=Dershowitz |first1=Nachum |author-link1=Nachum Dershowitz |last2=Reingold |first2=Edward M. |author-link2=Edward Reingold |title=Calendrical Calculations |title-link= Calendrical Calculations |edition=3rd |year=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-88540-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/calendricalcalcu00ders/page/n301 269] |chapter=17.10 The Korean Calendar |oclc=144768713 |ol=3347485W |quote=Prior to April 1, 1908 local mean time was used; for some intervals since then, 8.5 hours after [[Universal Time|U.T.]] was used as the time zone (from 1 April 1908 to 31 December 1911 and from 21 March 1954 until 9 August 1961).}} In 1912, the [[Governor-General of Korea]] changed the time zone to [[UTC+09:00]] to align with [[Japan Standard Time]].

Before modern clocks were introduced into [[Korea]], Koreans kept time with the help of a [[sundial]] during the daytime and a [[water clock]] at night. In 1434, [[Chang Yŏngsil]], a [[Joseon]] scientist and astronomer with other scientists, developed Korea's first sundial, Angbu Ilgu ({{korean|hangul=앙부일구|hanja=仰釜日晷|context=north|labels=no}}) and was put into service as standard time-keeper of the kingdom and began the standard time at Hanyang ([[Seoul]]) which was calculated to be UTC+08:27:52.A Bridge between Conceptual Frameworks: Sciences, Society and Technology Studies edited by Raffaele Pisano In 1442, Chiljeongsan, an astronomical calendar system that was created during the reign of [[Sejong the Great|King Sejong]] used Hanyang (Seoul) local time as its standard as it overcame the limitations of previous-made calendars.{{Cite web |url=http://jkas.kas.org/journals/2012v45n4/v45n4p085_kwlee.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 September 2016 |archive-date=7 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007223228/http://jkas.kas.org/journals/2012v45n4/v45n4p085_kwlee.pdf |url-status=dead }} The [[Korean Empire]] adopted a standard time of {{frac|8|1|2}} hours ahead of UTC ([[UTC+08:30]]), which is similar to Pyongyang Standard Time, around the beginning of the 20th century. Some sources claim 1908,{{cite news |title=Turning back the clock: North Korea creates Pyongyang Standard Time |editor-first=Paul |editor-last=Tait |work=Reuters |date=6 August 2015 |access-date=7 August 2015 |first1=Tony |last1=Munroe |first2=Jack |last2=Kim |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-time-idUSKCN0QC04P20150807 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809212635/http://reuters.com/article/2015/08/07/us-northkorea-time-idUSKCN0QC04P20150807 |archive-date=9 August 2015 |url-status=live }} others claim 1912{{cite book |last=Ts'ai |first=Hui-yu Caroline |title=Taiwan in Japan's Empire-Building: An Institutional Approach to Colonial Engineering |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X0yruIa2hVwC&pg=PA97 |year=2009 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-88875-9 |page=97 |lccn=2008018374 |oclc=227205710 |quote=After Japan took over Taiwan in 1895, the new empire was divided into two standard time zones: central and western; .... In 1912, Korea adopted the central time zone as a result of its merger with Japan in 1910.}} and yet another claims that mean local standard time was used prior to 1908 and that [[UTC+08:30]] was used from 1 April 1908 to 31 December 1911 and again from 21 March 1954 to 9 August 1961.{{cite book |last1=Dershowitz |first1=Nachum |author-link1=Nachum Dershowitz |last2=Reingold |first2=Edward M. |author-link2=Edward Reingold |title=Calendrical Calculations |title-link= Calendrical Calculations |edition=3rd |year=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-88540-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/calendricalcalcu00ders/page/n301 269] |chapter=17.10 The Korean Calendar |oclc=144768713 |ol=3347485W |quote=Prior to April 1, 1908 local mean time was used; for some intervals since then, 8.5 hours after [[Universal Time|U.T.]] was used as the time zone (from 1 April 1908 to 31 December 1911 and from 21 March 1954 until 9 August 1961).}} In 1912, the [[Governor-General of Korea]] changed the time zone to [[UTC+09:00]] to align with [[Japan Standard Time]].

On 5 August 2015, the [[North Korean government]] decided to return to [[UTC+08:30]], effective 15 August 2015, and said the official name would be Pyongyang Time or (PYT).{{cite news |url=http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/1181 |title=North Korea to introduce new timezone[sic] this month |date=7 August 2015 |work=[[BNO News]] |access-date=7 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925093530/http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/1181 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33815049 |title=North Korea's new time zone to break from "imperialism" |date=7 August 2015 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=7 August 2015}} The government of North Korea made this decision as a break from "imperialism"; the time zone change went into effect on the 70th anniversary of the [[liberation of Korea]].{{cite news |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/08/07/north_korea_invents_own_time_zone_xenophobia_against_japan_is_involved.html |last=Mathis-Lilley |first=Ben |publisher=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=7 August 2015 |title=North Korea Invents New Time Zone, 'Pyongyang Time'}} The [[South Korean government]] officials worried about inconvenience in Inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, including commuting to and from the [[Kaesong Industrial Region]], and further difference of lifestyle between the North and South Korean people.

On 5 August 2015, the [[North Korean government]] decided to return to [[UTC+08:30]], effective 15 August 2015, and said the official name would be Pyongyang Time or (PYT).{{cite news |url=http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/1181 |title=North Korea to introduce new timezone[sic] this month |date=7 August 2015 |work=[[BNO News]] |access-date=7 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925093530/http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/1181 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33815049 |title=North Korea's new time zone to break from "imperialism" |date=7 August 2015 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=7 August 2015}} The government of North Korea made this decision as a break from imperialism; the time zone change went into effect on the 70th anniversary of the [[liberation of Korea]].{{cite news |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/08/07/north_korea_invents_own_time_zone_xenophobia_against_japan_is_involved.html |last=Mathis-Lilley |first=Ben |publisher=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=7 August 2015 |title=North Korea Invents New Time Zone, 'Pyongyang Time'}} The [[South Korean government]] officials worried about inconvenience in Inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, including commuting to and from the [[Kaesong Industrial Region]], and further difference of lifestyle between the North and South Korean people.

On 29 April 2018, North Korean leader [[Kim Jong Un]] announced his country would be returning to [[UTC+09:00]] to realign its clocks with South Korea. On 30 April 2018, the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea issued a decree about changing the [[time zone]] in North Korea as a further step in unifying Korea and eliminating differences between the South and North.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/28/asia/north-korea-nuclear-site-time-zone-intl/index.html|title=North Korea will close main nuclear test site in May, South says|last1=Westcott|first1=Ben|date=29 April 2018|work=CNN|access-date=29 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501212726/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/28/asia/north-korea-nuclear-site-time-zone-intl/index.html|archive-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|last2=Yoonjung|first2=Seo|last3=Jeong|first3=Sophie|last4=Watkins|first4=Eli}}{{Cite web|url=http://news.jtbc.joins.com/article/article.aspx?news_id=NB11626847|title=혼란 주던 '30분 시차' 사라진다…서울 표준시로 "통일"|date=29 April 2018|language=ko|access-date=29 April 2018}}{{cite news|url=http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1393852-20180430.htm|title=N Korea to adjust time zone to match the South|date=30 April 2018|work=[[RTHK]]|access-date=30 April 2018|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}} The time zone change was applied at 23:30 on 4 May 2018 ([[UTC+08:30]]).{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44010705|title=North Korea changes its time zone|date=5 May 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=5 May 2018|language=en-GB}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/05/time-for-change-north-korea-moves-clocks-forward-to-match-south|title=Time for change: North Korea moves clocks forward to keep up with South|date=5 May 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=9 May 2018|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}

On 29 April 2018, North Korean leader [[Kim Jong Un]] announced his country would be returning to [[UTC+09:00]] to realign its clocks with South Korea. On 30 April 2018, the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea issued a decree about changing the [[time zone]] in North Korea as a further step in unifying Korea and eliminating differences between the South and North.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/28/asia/north-korea-nuclear-site-time-zone-intl/index.html|title=North Korea will close main nuclear test site in May, South says|last1=Westcott|first1=Ben|date=29 April 2018|work=CNN|access-date=29 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501212726/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/28/asia/north-korea-nuclear-site-time-zone-intl/index.html|archive-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|last2=Yoonjung|first2=Seo|last3=Jeong|first3=Sophie|last4=Watkins|first4=Eli}}{{Cite web|url=http://news.jtbc.joins.com/article/article.aspx?news_id=NB11626847|title=혼란 주던 '30분 시차' 사라진다…서울 표준시로 "통일"|date=29 April 2018|language=ko|access-date=29 April 2018}}{{cite news|url=http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1393852-20180430.htm|title=N Korea to adjust time zone to match the South|date=30 April 2018|work=[[RTHK]]|access-date=30 April 2018|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}} The time zone change was applied at 23:30 on 4 May 2018 ([[UTC+08:30]]).{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44010705|title=North Korea changes its time zone|date=5 May 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=5 May 2018|language=en-GB}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/05/time-for-change-north-korea-moves-clocks-forward-to-match-south|title=Time for change: North Korea moves clocks forward to keep up with South|date=5 May 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=9 May 2018|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}