In a move to uproot some of the last vestiges of Japanese imperial influence, North Korea’s time zone is being returned to 8.5 hours ahead of GMT—where it stood prior to the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910-1945.
The small communist nation, perennially lampooned for setting its own path, is going it alone again. You could say it was just a matter of time.
North Korea will adopt its own time zone beginning on August 15th.
The change to “Pyongyang Time” sets clocks back by 30 minutes and puts North Korea 8.5 hours ahead of GMT—which was actually the time zone used by all of Korea prior to the Japanese occupation of 1910-1945.
The change goes into effect on the 70th anniversary of
