Our regular contributor for North Korean broadcasting, Arnulf Piontek, sent word of North Korea's upcoming time change. From May 5, 2018, North Korea will adjust time to former UTC + 9 hours from then.
Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, put forward a proposal
for resetting the standard time of the DPRK. During his visit to the southern
area for the third historic Inter-Korean summit and talks, he discussed with
South Korean President Moon Jae in the matter of unifying the standard times of
the north and the south.
He noted, proposing unifying the times before doing anything
else. It is not an abstract meaning that the north and the south become one,
but it is just a process in which the north and the south turn their different
and separated things into the same and single ones, he said, expressing his
resolution to unify the two times existing in the Korean peninsula as the first
practical step for achieving national reconciliation and unity.
True to his suggestion of examining and approving the
proposal by a relevant field in the north, the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme
People's Assembly adopted a decree "On Resetting the Pyongyang Time".
The decree reads:
Firstly, the Pyongyang time shall be reset into GMT+09:00
(30 minutes earlier than the present time) with 135 degrees of east longitude
as the prime meridian.
Secondly, the reset Pyongyang time shall be applied from May
5, Juche 107 (2018). Thirdly, the Cabinet and relevant organs of the DPRK shall
take practical measures to implement the decree.
By-hour listings in the upcoming summer edition of International Shortwave broadcast Guide, are based on the
original summer schedules. It is unknown at this time how the time change will
affect North Korean radio schedules. Any schedule adjustments will be posted at
Shortwave Central.
According to hobby radio forum reports, North Korean broadcasts will be 30 minutes earlier UTC from that date.
(photo/dw.com)