North Korea’s state media is reporting that on Aug. 15 the country will abandon the time zone it shares with Japan and South Korea and create its own.
Pyongyang Standard Time, as it were, will be 12 and a half hours ahead of the Eastern United States — 30 minutes behind Japan Standard Time, which both Koreas have used since Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula in 1910.
“The wicked Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of even its standard time while mercilessly trampling down its land,” said KCNA, North Korea’s state mouthpiece.
The decision serves to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence, which enabled the political rise of Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founding father and grandfather to Kim Jong Un, the country’s third and current supreme leader. South Korea briefly returned to its precolonial time zone in 1954 before embracing Japan’s standard in 1961, citing diplomatic benefits.
See the Monumental Extravagance of North Korea's Architecture
Portraits of the leaders in a Pyongyang Metro car.
The Pyongyang Metro opened in 1973 and currently consists of two linesEddo Hartmann—Koryo StudioStatue of Kim Il Sung at Kaeson station, Pyongyang Metro
As part of the efforts to give each station in the metro system a distinct design, Kaeson station has no pillarsEddo Hartmann—Koryo StudioPortrait of the Leaders, Jannamsan Hotel, Kaesong, Pyongyang.
There are a number of portraits of the North Korean leaders, featuring specific backdrops or content that have been officially approved and are displayed throughout the country. Artists who have been specially trained in reproducing the image of the leaders create all these portraits at Mansudae Art Studio in PyongyangEddo Hartmann—Koryo StudioYanggakdo Hotel on Yanggak Island, Pyongyang rises to 47-storeys. Eddo Hartmann—Koryo StudioPyongyang Metro at rush hour. The stations of the Pyongyang Metro showcase distinct designs, usually featuring statues and mosaicsEddo Hartmann—Koryo StudioKim Il Sung Square, Pyongyang.
Constructed in the mid-1950s, this square lies in the centre of post-war Pyongyang, and was built in the same style as many of those found in the USSREddo Hartmann—Koryo StudioSings display the date of Kim Il sung's birthday, which is April 15. That date is now a national holiday in North KoreaEddo Hartmann—Koryo StudioThe entrance to Kim Il sung stadium. The marble pillars and expansive lobby are typical of the neoclassical style seen throughout PyongyangEddo Hartmann—Koryo StudioA loudspeaker sits outside the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, Pyongyang. The building originally functioned as the seat of government under Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) and today acts as his mausoleum for him and his son, Kim Jong Il (1941-2011)Eddo Hartmann—Koryo Studio