Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
NK's own time zone to deepen division
Police officers stand guard to block a group of activists who were planning to send balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the Demilitarized Zone at the inter-Korean border town of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. North Korea warned Thursday it would fire “aimed shots” at the activists if they carried out the leaflet campaign. / Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
By Yi Whan-woo
North Korea has turned its clocks back by 30 minutes to create its own time zone starting today, a move expected to deepen divisions with the South.
The North was previously in the same zone as South Korea and Japan, nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The establishment of “Pyongyang time” came after the Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) announced on Aug. 7 that the regime is making the move to root out the legacy of Japanese colonization (1910-45).
“The wicked Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of even its standard time while mercilessly trampling down its land with a 5,000-year history and culture, and pursuing the unheard of policy of obliterating the Korean nation,” KNCA said.
However, the South has expressed concerns that moving the clocks back will instead create another division with Seoul to add to widening differences between the Koreas and hamper inter-Korean efforts for unification.
Pyongyang’s establishment of a new time zone has largely been met with bemusement internationally.
“North Korea has separated our standard times while not responding to proposals for dialogue and cooperation,” President Park Geun-hye said during a meeting with her aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. “This is a regression of our efforts for inter-Korean cooperation and a peaceful unification.”
The Ministry of Unification, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, said on Aug. 7 that Pyongyang’s decision could bring minor disruptions at the joint industrial complex in Gaeseong, a border city in North Korea. More than 50,000 North Koreans work at plants operated by around 125 Korean enterprises there.
The government speculated there may be some fallout from efforts to unify standards in the long-term.
It said South Korea’s choice of the current time zone is based on practical benefits such as daylight savings, rather than colonial history.
North Korea set its clocks for the GMT+9 time zone after Korea’s liberation, while South Korea abandoned using that time from 1954 to 1961.