Even though it might still be physically impossible under
current technology, can North Korea go 30 minutes back in time literally?
By: Ringo Bones
Most countries in the Korean peninsula are “busy” marking the
70th Anniversary of the end of World War II, while the secretive “Hermit
Kingdom” of North Korea attempts to go 30 minutes back in time, literally. At
least it is for largely political reasons. North Korea’s top lawmaking body –
The Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly – decreed on Wednesday, August
12, 2015 that clocks in North Korea will be moved back by 30 minutes and the “New
North Korean Time Zone” would take effect in August 15, 2015 so when the clocks
in North Korea hit midnight in the evening of August 14, 2015, all clocks in
the “Hermit Kingdom” should be rolled back 30 minutes, according to the report
carried by the North Korea’s Central News Agency.
North Korea currently shares a time zone with South Korea
and the peninsula’s former colonial ruler, Japan. The decree would restore
North Korea to a time zone that the country used before Japan colonized it. According
to the report, The North Korean Presidium said in its decree: “The wicked
Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of
even its standard time.”
North Korea’s “official version” of history glosses over the
United States’ fight against Japan during World War II, including the role of
the two atomic bombs in bringing about the end of the war. Instead, Pyongyang’s
“official history” credits Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founder, with fighting
Japan off the Korean peninsula which Tokyo governed as a colony for 35 years until
1945. For good or bad, the majority of North Koreans will probably not even
notice the 30 minute rollback of their “New North Korean Time Zone” given that
they have no internet access or investing in the international stock exchange
or are serious amateur astronomers.
