Public holidays in North Korea

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This is a list of public holidays in North Korea. See also the Korean calendar for a list of traditional holidays. As of 2017^[update], the North Korean calendar has 71 official public holidays, including Sundays.^[1] In the past, North Koreans relied on rations provided by the state on public holidays for feasts. Recently, with marketization people are able to save up money and buy the goods they need.^[2]

The Day of the Sun, the birthday of its founder and first leader Kim Il Sung, on 15 April is the most important holiday in the country.^[3] The second most important is the Day of the Shining Star on 16 February, the birthday of Kim Jong Il.^[4] As of 2019^[update], Kim Jong Un's birthday is still not a public holiday.^[5] Other holidays of great importance are the Party Foundation Day (10 October) and the Day of the Foundation of the Republic (9 September).^[6] North Koreans often schedule their wedding days on important national holidays.^[7]

North Korea regularly carries out missile and nuclear tests on such important anniversaries.^[8]