This upcoming Sunday, October 1, marks the 68th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Happy National Day （国庆节), China! And we hope everyone in China enjoys their holiday.

Below is some footage from the declaration of the People's Republic on this day in 1949:

The national day of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is September 9 (조선민주주의인민공화국창건일 or more colloquially 9.9절read as '구구절' ) and next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK in 1948.

Unlike in China, there is not readily available footage of the September 9, 1948 proclamation in Pyongyang. An online page from Kim Il Sung University's 'Our Nation School' has a number of idealised images and some old photographs of the day (below).

Look around online and one can come across some interesting photos associated with party conferences, meetings between northern and southern politicians, and discussions leading up to the foundation of the DPRK. For instance, one can see the use of the Taegukki flag, still the national flag of South Korea, used in the north until the formal adoption of the new North Korean flag in September 1948.

September 9, 2018 is likely to see some prominent celebrations taking place in Pyongyang and across the country: likely student-organised mass dances, possibly fireworks, and maybe a military parade.

We are often asked about military parades in the Pyongyang which do not occur as often as evening news reports would have you believe. Parades are usually not announced until a few months before the event and sometimes not publicly confirmed until the day of the event. That said, September 9 next year is a likely candidate. The last military parades were on April 15, 2017 (the 105th anniversary of the birth of President Kim Il Sung), October 10, 2015 (the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean Workers’ Party), and July 27, 2013 (the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War).

Koryo Tours will run a number of group tours for National Day next year and can also arrange custom private tours. We’ll be sending out more information on the blog and by newsletter when we know more!

'Sundays in Peking' introduces sights and activities in Beijing with even the slightest connection to Korea. Sometimes we just write about other stuff happening around Beijing.