The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea calendar, DPRK calendar, or Juche calendar (Korean pronunciation: ), named after the Juche ideology, is the system of year-numbering used in North Korea.
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.
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 North Korean calendar. Thus, the current year, 2021, is “Juche 110”, the next year, 2022, will be “Juche 111”, and so on.
The calendar began to be implemented on 9 September 1997, the Day of the Foundation of the Republic. 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 1” years, and 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.”
Examples
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| Juche year | Gregorian year | Dangun year | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1912 | 4245 | Kim Il-sung’s birth |
| 30 | 1941 | 4274 | Kim Jong-Il’s birth (Soviet Union Records) |
| 31 | 1942 | 4275 | Kim Jong-Il’s birth (North Korean Propaganda Records) |
| 37 | 1948 | 4281 | North Korea founded |
| 39–42 | 1950–1953 | 4283–4286 | Korean War |
| 71 | 1982 | 4315 | Construction of the Juche Tower completed to commemorate Kim Il-sung’s 70 years of life, Kim Jong-un’s birth (North Korean records) |
| 72 | 1983 | 4316 | Kim Jong-un’s birth (South Korean records) |
| 73 | 1984 | 4317 | Kim Jong-un’s birth (American 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 |
| 110 | 2021 | 4354 | Current year |
| 111 | 2022 | 4355 | Next year |
- Example of “103 (2014)” from Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.