Pyongyang Time | |
---|---|
Time zone | |
![]() Map of East Asia with timezones | |
UTC offset | |
PYT | UTC+9:00 |
Current time | |
06:42, 6 February 2025 UTC+09:00 [refresh] | |
Central meridian | |
Date-time group |
Pyongyang Time | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 평양시간 |
---|---|
Hancha | 平壤時間 |
Revised Romanization | Pyeongyang sigan |
McCune–Reischauer | P'yŏngyang sigan |
South Korean name | |
Hangul | 북한표준시 |
---|---|
Hanja | 北韓標準時 |
Revised Romanization | Bukhan pyojunsi |
McCune–Reischauer | Pukhan p'yojunsi |
Time in North Korea,called Pyongyang Time [1] (PYT;Korean : 평양시간) or Standard Time of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (조선민주주의인민공화국표준시간;朝鮮民主主義人民共和國標準時間),is since May 2018 equal to Korea Standard Time:9 hours ahead of UTC (UTC+09:00). Like South Korea,North Korea does not currently observe daylight saving time. [2] Time keeping in North Korea is under the State Commission for Science and Technology.
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,Jang Yeong-sil,a Joseon scientist and astronomer with other scientists,developed Korea's first sundial,Angbu Ilgu (앙부일구;仰釜日晷) 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. [3] In 1442,Chiljeongsan,an astronomical calendar system that was created during the reign of King Sejong used Hanyang (Seoul) local time as its standard as it overcame the limitations of previous-made calendars. [4] The Korean Empire adopted a standard time of 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, [5] others claim 1912 [6] 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. [7] 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). [8] [9] 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. [10] 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. [9]
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. [11] [12] [13] The time zone change was applied at 23:30 on 4 May 2018 (UTC+08:30). [14] [15]
The IANA time zone database contains one zone for North Korea in the file zone.tab, named Asia/Pyongyang. [16]
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)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.
Prior to April 1, 1908 local mean time was used; for some intervals since then, 8.5 hours after 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).