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Tengrinews.kz – North Korea has stopped using the “juche” calendar, which is based on the year Kim Il Sung was born. South Korean media called it the latest attempt to strengthen Kim Jong-un's position as the country's sole leader, according to Yonhap news agency.
According to this calendar, 1912, the year Kim Il Sung was born, is considered the first year of Juche. The calendar was officially adopted in 1997, three years after Kim Il Sung died of heart failure. North Korea used the juche calendar alongside the Gregorian calendar.
"While Kim Jung-un's speech on Oct. 10 and the foreign ministry statement on Oct. 11 referred to this year as Juche 113, a statement by Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North's leader, issued on Saturday referred to the year as "2024," without any mention of the juche calendar," the publication states.
The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper, which targets a domestic audience, used the juche calendar in both its print edition and its website on Saturday. However, starting on Sunday, the newspaper stopped using that system in favor of the Gregorian calendar.
The end of the juche calendar after 27 years is seen as a reflection of Kim Jong-un's desire to assert his leadership and not rely on the legacy of his predecessors.
“This seems to be part of Kim Jong-un's efforts to establish his own independent cult of personality, which has been evident since the start of this year,” a unification ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The official also said North Korea would likely gradually make changes to the juche calendar rather than stop using it outright.
