When is National Day?
In 2026, National Day falls on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. It is classified here as a North Korean public holiday.
History of National Day
National Day, also called the Day of the Foundation of the Republic, is held on September 9. It commemorates the proclamation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948 and is one of the country’s most important civic-state anniversaries.
Round-number anniversaries can bring especially large ceremonies, performances and displays, particularly in Pyongyang. In other years, the date still functions as a public holiday and a point for official reflection on the state’s founding and national identity.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was proclaimed on September 9, 1948 after separate political institutions had emerged north and south of the post-1945 dividing line. Kim Il Sung became premier of the new northern state. The anniversary is also called Foundation Day or Day of the Foundation of the Republic, names that identify the same holiday rather than separate dates. Large parades occur on selected milestone anniversaries, not automatically every year. In 2026 the seventy-eighth anniversary falls on Wednesday; published calendars support non-working status, while actual sector-specific operations remain difficult to verify independently.
How National Day is observed
A documented principal nationwide state holiday fixed on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, marking the DPRK's proclamation in 1948.
Traditions of National Day
Foundation ceremonies
State institutions hold meetings, speeches and commemorations concerning the September 1948 proclamation and the present republic's political identity.
Parades on selected anniversaries
Large military or civilian parades are associated especially with milestone years and should not be promised as an annual event.
Flags and cultural performance
Decorated streets, mass dances and concerts appear in official reporting, while actual public access and participation vary locally.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official North Korean official and calendar guidance. Lunar-calendar and annual state schedules should be confirmed against authoritative current-year guidance.
History sources: North Korea 2026 public-holiday calendar, KCNA: Lunar New Year’s Day celebrated in the DPRK, Russian Embassy in the DPRK: country information and holiday list.
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