Korean era name

Korean era names were titles adopted in historical Korea for the purpose of year identification and numbering. Era names were used during the period of Silla, Goguryeo, Balhae, Taebong, Goryeo, Joseon, and the Korean Empire. Various Korean regimes officially adopted the era names of Chinese dynasties.
Era names originated in 140 BCE in China, during the reign of the Emperor Wu of Han. Since the middle of the 6th century CE, various Korean regimes started to use era names.

List of Korean era names

This is a list of era names used by historical regimes on the Korean Peninsula. Several of these regimes officially adopted the era names of China; in such instances, the Chinese renditions of the era names are stated in parentheses.

[Korean Empire]

[Korea under Japanese rule]

The Japanese renditions of the era names are stated in parentheses.

Era name	Period of use	Length of use	Remark
Myeongchi 明治 명치	1910–1912 CE	3 years	Era name of the Emperor Meiji. 1910 CE was the 43rd year of Meiji.
Daejeong 大正 대정	1912–1926 CE	15 years	Era name of the Emperor Taishō.
Sohwa 昭和 소화	1926–1945 CE	20 years	Era name of the Emperor Shōwa.

Modern era systems

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Era name	Period of use	Length of use	Remark
Juche 주체	1997–present	Current era	1912 is designated as the first year and has been used since 1997.

The North Korean government and associated organizations use a variation of the Gregorian calendar with a Juche year based on April 15, 1912 CE, the date of birth of Kim Il-sung, as year 1. There is no Juche year 0. The calendar was introduced in 1997. Months are unchanged from those in the standard Gregorian calendar. In many instances, the Juche year is given after the CE year, for example, Juche . But in North Korean publications, the Juche year is usually placed before the corresponding CE year, as in Juche .