North Korea creates its own time zone

On the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s liberation from Japan at the end of World War II, the communist nation will celebrate by creating its own time zone.

Going into effect Aug. 15, the new zone, known as Pyongyang time, will set clocks back 30 minutes across the country.

"The wicked Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of even its standard time while mercilessly trampling down its land with 5,000-year-long history and culture and pursuing the unheard-of policy of obliterating the Korean nation," the country's official Korea Central News Agency said.

USA Today reports Japan ruled over the then-unified Korea from 1910 to 1945 and set the local time for 9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time for the entire peninsula.

North Korea isn’t the first country to set its own time zone. In 2007, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez turned back the clock in his nation by a half hour.

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