Current Time in Pyongyang
How to Check Current Time in Pyongyang, North Korea
Open the Pyongyang time converter page: Go to https://www.xconvert.com/time-converter/north-korea/pyongyang. The page loads with Pyongyang pre-selected on the visual 24-hour grid, which is useful if you need to check local time before arranging a call, confirming a travel itinerary through East Asia, or coordinating with contacts in North Korea.
Add comparison cities with the “+ Add City” button: Click + Add City and search for cities such as Tokyo, Beijing, and London to compare Pyongyang against major regional and international business hubs. Tokyo is especially relevant because Japan and Pyongyang share the same standard UTC+9 offset, while London helps media, diplomatic, and logistics teams understand the large Europe–Korea time gap.
Use the grid to select a workable time window: Click Select to enter selection mode, then drag across Pyongyang’s row from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM to highlight a purple range with adjustable handles. This lets you see immediately that 9 AM in Pyongyang is 1 AM in London during standard time or 12 AM during British Summer Time, so an early Pyongyang work session is usually impractical for UK-based participants.
Export or share the selected time range: After selecting a range, use the export options shown on the page: ICS download, Google Calendar, Gmail, Copy to clipboard, or Share link. This is useful for sending a confirmed meeting window to a remote team, adding a cross-border appointment to calendars automatically, or sharing a direct link so others can view the same Pyongyang-based schedule in their own local time.
About Pyongyang Time Zone
Pyongyang uses the IANA time zone Asia/Pyongyang, which currently operates at UTC+9. This means local time in Pyongyang is 9 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time, placing it in the same standard offset as Tokyo and Seoul, and 1 hour ahead of Beijing and Shanghai at UTC+8.
North Korea does not currently observe daylight saving time, so Pyongyang stays on the same UTC+9 offset throughout the year. That makes time planning simpler than in countries such as the United States or United Kingdom, where offsets shift seasonally in March and November or March and October, affecting call schedules and international deadlines.
Geographically, Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea in the western part of the Korean Peninsula, and its time zone alignment reflects its position in Northeast Asia. For practical coordination, Pyongyang time matches South Korea and Japan year-round, while remaining consistently 1 hour ahead of much of mainland China, which matters for regional rail, aviation planning, diplomatic communication, and East Asian market monitoring.
Pyongyang City Details
Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea, with a population of 3,222,000. Its geographic coordinates are 39.03385° N, 125.75432° E, placing it inland near the Taedong River in the western part of the country, not far from the Yellow Sea corridor that connects the Korean Peninsula to northeastern China.
The local currency used in Pyongyang is the North Korean won (KPW), and the country dialing code is +850. If you are arranging international contact, shipping documentation, or travel-related records, these details are often needed alongside the local time zone, especially for embassy paperwork, telecom setup, and cross-border administrative communication.
Time Differences from Pyongyang
Pyongyang is 9 hours ahead of UTC, so its difference from other cities depends partly on whether those places are on standard time or daylight saving time.
- New York: Pyongyang is 14 hours ahead during Eastern Standard Time and 13 hours ahead during Eastern Daylight Time. When it’s 9:00 AM in Pyongyang, it’s 7:00 PM the previous day in New York during EST, or 8:00 PM the previous day during EDT.
- London: Pyongyang is 9 hours ahead during Greenwich Mean Time and 8 hours ahead during British Summer Time. When it’s 9:00 AM in Pyongyang, it’s 12:00 AM in London during GMT, or 1:00 AM during BST.
- Tokyo: Pyongyang and Tokyo are on the same time year-round because both use UTC+9 and neither currently changes clocks seasonally. When it’s 9:00 AM in Pyongyang, it’s 9:00 AM in Tokyo.
- Sydney: Pyongyang is usually 2 hours behind Sydney during Australian Eastern Daylight Time and 1 hour behind during Australian Eastern Standard Time. When it’s 9:00 AM in Pyongyang, it’s 11:00 AM in Sydney during AEDT, or 10:00 AM during AEST.
- Dubai: Pyongyang is 5 hours ahead of Dubai year-round because Dubai uses UTC+4 and does not observe daylight saving time. When it’s 9:00 AM in Pyongyang, it’s 4:00 AM in Dubai.
For real scheduling, this means Pyongyang mornings overlap best with Tokyo and Seoul business hours, while the most practical windows for London are usually Pyongyang late afternoon or evening. For New York, same-day overlap is limited, so many calls require either a late evening in Pyongyang or an early morning in the eastern United States.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time zone is Pyongyang in?
Pyongyang is in the Asia/Pyongyang time zone. Its standard offset is UTC+9, which places it in the same clock time as Seoul and Tokyo for normal day-to-day scheduling.
Does Pyongyang observe daylight saving time?
No, Pyongyang does not currently observe daylight saving time. The city remains on UTC+9 all year, so its local time does not shift in spring or autumn the way it does in places like New York, London, or Sydney.
What is the time difference between Pyongyang and New York?
Pyongyang is 14 hours ahead of New York when New York is on Eastern Standard Time, and 13 hours ahead when New York is on Eastern Daylight Time. For example, if it is 9:00 AM in Pyongyang, it is 7:00 PM the previous day in New York during winter or 8:00 PM the previous day during summer.
What is the best time to call Pyongyang from the US?
From the US East Coast, the most realistic call windows are usually early morning in New York and evening in Pyongyang, or evening in the US and next-morning hours in Pyongyang. For example, 7:00 PM in New York during EDT is 8:00 AM the next day in Pyongyang, which is often more practical than trying to match both sides during standard office hours.
What is the best time to call Pyongyang from the UK?
For UK callers, the best overlap is usually UK early morning with Pyongyang late afternoon, or UK late evening with Pyongyang next-morning hours. A practical example is 8:00 AM in London during GMT, which is 5:00 PM in Pyongyang, making it one of the better same-day windows for business or administrative communication.
What is the UTC offset for Pyongyang?
The UTC offset for Pyongyang is UTC+9. In practical terms, that means you add 9 hours to UTC to get local Pyongyang time, and because there is no daylight saving adjustment, this offset stays constant throughout the year.
What currency does Pyongyang use?
Pyongyang uses the North Korean won (KPW). If you are preparing travel documents, economic research, or reference data for North Korea, KPW is the standard currency code you should use alongside the city’s time zone and country code +850.