When is Military Foundation Day in North Korea?

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When is Military foundation day in North Korea? Well, there are two answers, February 8th, and April 25th, and as always, there is a story behind this…

North Korea, much like the United States of America is a country where the military is a big deal, from the Songun Military First policy to general everyday life, the military is extremely important.

North Korea also like to celebrate anniversaries, so why does North Korea have two military foundation days?

On February 8th, 1948, the modern Korean People’s Army (KPA) was formed, and this was to be a public holiday, and the official date of formation until 1977…

In 1977 the formation of the KPA was retroactively changed to April 25th, 1932, the date of the establishment of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army (KPRA), or Joseon Peoples Revolutionary Army (depending on who you talk to). This was then celebrated as a national holiday until February 8th 2018, when foundation day was again reverted back to its original/later date (yeah, its a bit confusing).

Nowadays, technically at least February 8th would be the main public holiday and time for celebration, but in reality, and much like the queen having two birthdays, so does the nightly military of North Korea!

What happens on Military foundation day?

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Do you want to see a military parade in North Korea? Can you see a military parade in North Korea? Yes, and yes, but it tends to be at 5-year intervals (as per the Chinese standard). This means that on significant anniversaries (such as 75 years), you will get a military parade.

And there’s more, we were not there at the time, but one the only recorded times that General Kim Jong Il spoke was on April 25th, 1992, when he said: “Bring glory to the heroic people’s military.” You heard it here first!

Sadly 2020 will probably not be the year to see a North Korean military parade, but we are holding our big hopes for 2021!

To keep you tied over until then check out our video below from a 2018 North Korean Military Parade

Get in touch with today for more information on our 2021 North Korean Tours.