Anyone who has seen satellite photos of North Korea at night and noted the absence of electric lights might conclude it is a country that is operating behind the times, but would you guess 1,911 years behind the times?
In 1997 North Korea officially adopted the Juche calendar. It marks the years from the birthday of the first leader of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, who was born on April 15, 1912. That date is officially April 15, Juche 1. That means the date this article is written, September 17, 2017, would be read in North Korea on September 17, Juche 106. (This is all theoretical, of course. As of this date, Commonplace has had visitors from 166 nations, but North Korea, strangely, has not been one of them.)
Categories: Customs, Government
Commonplace Fun Facts 
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