Time in South Korea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Time in South Korea |
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|---|---|
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| UTC offset | |
| KST | UTC+09:00 |
| Current time | |
| Error in : first argument ('KST') is not a valid timezone. () | |
| Observance of DST | |
| DST is not observed in this time zone. | |
| Korea Standard Time | |
| Hangul | |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Hanguk pyojunsi |
| McCune–Reischauer | Han'guk p'yojunsi |
South Korea uses one time zone. It is called Korea Standard Time (KST). This time zone is UTC+09:00. This means it is nine hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). South Korea does not use daylight saving time now. However, they tried it during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Contents
How Korea's Time Was Measured
For a long time, people have needed ways to tell time. In 1434, a clever inventor named Jang Yeong-sil created something amazing. He made Korea's first automatic water clock. This special clock helped King Sejong keep track of time for the whole country. People likely used water clocks before this, but we don't have clear records.
A few years later, in 1437, Jang Yeong-sil worked with Jeong Cho. They made a bowl-shaped sundial called the angbu ilgu. A sundial tells time by looking at shadows from the sun. King Sejong put these sundials in public places. This way, everyone could easily see what time it was.
Changes to Korea's Standard Time
Time zones help us know what time it is around the world. Geographically, some western parts of Korea, like the capital city Seoul, are naturally closer to UTC+08:00.
In 1908, the Korean Empire decided on a standard time. They chose UTC+08:30. Later, in 1912, when Japan ruled Korea, the time was changed. It became UTC+09:00 to match Japan Standard Time.
After Korea became independent, the time changed again. In 1954, the South Korean government changed it back to UTC+08:30. But in 1961, the time was changed once more to UTC+09:00. This is the time zone South Korea uses today.
Daylight Saving Time for the Olympics
Daylight saving time means moving clocks forward by an hour. This makes evenings feel longer. South Korea used daylight saving time in 1988. This was when Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics. The time change helped American television viewers. Many daytime events in Korea could be shown live during prime time on the U.S. east coast.
North Korea's Time Zone
North Korea also uses Korea Standard Time. For a few years, from 2015 to 2018, North Korea changed its time zone. They used UTC+08:30, which they called Pyongyang Standard Time. But they changed it back to UTC+09:00. This was done to help show unity between North and South Korea.
See also
In Spanish: Huso horario de Corea para niños
