“North Korea was founded on September 9, 1948.” We hear this phrase again and again, and often say it ourselves. But rarely do we ask the question – what happened on that day?

If a country has a holiday commemorating its foundation day, it’s usually easy to name the historic event it is intended to commemorate. 

For example, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the secession of the Thirteen Colonies from the British Empire.

On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong stood at the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, announcing the foundation of the People’s