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. [2]
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. [3] [4]
The calendar began to be implemented on 9 September 1997,the Day of the Foundation of the Republic. [3] On that date,newspapers,news agencies,radio stations,public transport,and birth certificates began to use Juche years. [5] The Gregorian calendar was used alongside the Juche calendar until 2022. [6]
Relinquishment
In October 2024,North Korea started to stop using the Juche calendar. On 13 October 2024, Rodong Sinmun stopped using the calendar in favour of solely using the Gregorian calendar. [7] [8] The new official calendars for the year 2025,released on 1 January,were the first in decades to not show the Juche year,replacing what would have been Juche 114 with 2025 instead. It is believed that the abandonment of the Juche calendar is intended to de-emphasize the cult of personality around the founder of North Korea,Kim Il Sung,in order to strengthen that of Kim Jong Un. [9]
Usage
The year 1912 was "Juche 1" in the Juche calendar. There were no "before Juche" years;years before 1912 were given numbers based on the Gregorian calendar only. Ranges of years that began before 1912 and end after it were also given in Christian calendar numbers only. [10]
Any other years after 1912 would 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 [might] be used on the principles of independence,equality and reciprocity." [10]
During the system's period of use between 1997 and 2024,the Juche calendar was a popular souvenir among tourists visiting North Korea. [11]
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