Juche calendar

The Juche calendar, named after the Juche ideology, is the system of year-numbering used in North Korea. It begins with the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea. His birth year, 1912 in the Gregorian calendar, is "Juche 1" in the Juche calendar. The calendar was adopted in 1997, three years after the death of Kim Il Sung.

Juche calendar
A Juche calendar for Juche 99 (2010)
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha
Revised RomanizationJuche ryeok
McCune–ReischauerChuch'e ryŏk
Juche Era
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha
Revised RomanizationJuche yeonho
McCune–ReischauerChuch'e yŏnho

History

The calendar borrows elements from two historical calendars used in Korea, the traditional system of Korean era names and the Gregorian calendar in which years are tied to the traditional birth of Jesus. In contrast to these two, the Juche calendar begins with the birth of the founder of the Democratic People's Republic, Kim Il Sung.[1]

The decree on the Juche calendar was adopted on 8 July 1997, on the third anniversary of the death of Kim Il Sung. The same decree also designated the birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung as the Day of the Sun. The birth year of Kim Il Sung, 1912 in the Gregorian calendar, became "Juche 1" in the Juche calendar.[2][3]

The calendar began to be implemented on 9 September 1997, the Day of the Foundation of the Republic.[2] On that date, newspapers, news agencies, radio stations, public transport, and birth certificates began to use Juche years.[4]

Usage

The year 1912 is "Juche 1" in the Juche 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.[5]

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."[5]

The Juche calendar is a popular souvenir among tourists visiting North Korea.[6]

Examples
Juche year Gregorian year Dangun year Event
1 1912 4245 Kim Il Sung's birth
30 1941 4274 Kim Jong Il's birth (Soviet records)
31 1942 4275 Kim Jong Il's birth (North Korean records)
37 1948 4281 North Korea founded
39–42 1950–1953 4283–4286 Korean War
71 1982 4315 Kim Jong Un's birth (North Korean records)
72 1983 4316 Kim Jong Un's birth (South Korean and U.S. records)
83 1994 4327 Kim Il Sung's death
86 1997 4330 Juche calendar introduced
100 2011 4344 Kim Jong Il's death
101 2012 4345 100 years after Kim Il Sung's birth
111 2022 4355 Last year
112 2023 4356 Current year
113 2024 4357 Next year

See also

References
  1. Andrew Logie (17 September 2012). The Answers: North Korea: How do you solve a problem like North Korea?. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. p. 57. ISBN 978-981-4398-90-9.
  2. Hy-Sang Lee (2001). North Korea: A Strange Socialist Fortress. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-275-96917-2.
  3. Martin K. Dimitrov (31 July 2013). Why Communism Did Not Collapse: Understanding Authoritarian Regime Resilience in Asia and Europe. Cambridge University Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-107-03553-9.
  4. "Juche era available in Korea". KCNA. 10 September 1997. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  5. "Rules on use of Juche Era adopted". KCNA. 25 August 1997. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  6. 北朝鮮で高コスパ土産として人気のカレンダー3種類を徹底解析. Korea World Times (in Japanese). 31 March 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
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