A United Nations agency for telecommunications has said that it was not notified of North Korea's plan to change its standard time.
 
Radio Free Asia cited the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as saying that there were also no consultations held related to the time change.
 
The agency said that many countries observe the 24 standard time zones for the convenience of their citizens such as many western European states abiding by the Central European Time.
 
The ITU, however, said that countries are free to set their own standard times and the decision cannot be forced. 
 
North Korea on Friday announced that it would push back its standard time by 30 minutes starting next Saturday which marks the 70th anniversary of liberation from Japan's colonial rule.
 
Explaining its decision to change its time zone, the North claimed Japanese imperialists had stolen Korea’s standard time zone during its colonial occupation.