Juche calendar

The Juche calendar is North Korea’s year-numbering system, counting from Kim Il-sung’s birth in 1912, designated Juche 1.

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Juche era: A year-counting era that begins with Kim Il-sung’s birth year, 1912, designated year 1. The era supplies the calendar’s defining year numbers.
Kim Il-sung: North Korea’s founding leader, who ruled from the state’s establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. His birth year became the Juche calendar’s epoch.
North Korean newspapers: Periodicals published in North Korea under state regulation and censorship. Newspaper dates can display the Juche year alongside the Gregorian date.
Republic of China calendar: A year-numbering system used in Taiwan that counts from the founding of the Republic of China in 1912. It shares the 1912 starting year but commemorates a different political founding.
Gregorian calendar: The internationally dominant solar calendar, introduced in 1582 under Pope Gregory XIII. North Korean dates retain Gregorian months and days alongside Juche year numbers.
Juche: North Korea’s state ideology, commonly associated with self-reliance and Kim Il-sung’s political thought. The calendar’s name invokes the ideology used to frame the new era.
North Korean propaganda: State-produced communication intended to shape public understanding and support for North Korea’s government. Juche year numbers reinforce the state’s preferred historical frame.
French Republican calendar: A calendar adopted during the French Revolution, beginning its year count from the founding of the French Republic. It also used calendar reform to mark a new political order.
Calendar era: A system that numbers years from a chosen epoch or event. Juche is one example of dating years from a politically selected epoch.
1997 in North Korea: A year in North Korean history when the Juche calendar was officially introduced. The government adopted the new year numbering in this year.