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.
(photo/dw.com)