In countries which use the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is usually celebrated on 1 January. The order of months in the Roman calendar has been January to December since King Numa Pompilius in about 700 BC, according to Plutarch and Macrobius. However, Roman writers identified years by naming the year's consuls, who did not enter office on 1 January until 153 BC. Since then 1 January has been the first day of the year, except during the Middle Ages when several other days were the first (1 March, 25 March, Easter, 1 September, 25 December). With the expansion of Western culture to the rest of the world during the twentieth century, the 1 January date became global, even in countries with their own New Year celebrations on other days (e.g., China and India). At present, the celebration of the New Year is a major event worldwide. Many large-scale events are held in major cities around the world, with many large fireworks events on New Year's Eve (31 December). Sydney launched over 80,000 fireworks at midnight, and had more than one and a half million attendees; it was also the most-watched event on television worldwide last year. In Valparaiso upwards of two million visitors witnessed the largest fireworks display in a natural setting; a total of more than 21 kilometers of fireworks on the bay, from the commercial port city of Valparaiso to Concon, Chile, all in 25 minutes of entertainment. London's New Year celebrations centre around the London Eye, with an impressive fireworks display while Big Ben strikes midnight. In New York, the celebration is focused around a large crystal ball that descends in a one minute countdown in Times Square. Edinburgh plays host to one of the world's largest Hogmanay events. The celebrations last for four days and attract visitors from around the globe to take part in street parties and attend concerts. In the culture of Latin America there are a variety of traditions and superstitions surrounding these dates as omens for the coming year. January remains a symbol of the New Year's celebration. According to the Christian tradition, 1 January coincides with the circumcision of Christ (eight days after birth), when the name of Jesus was given to him (Luke 2: 21).

Kim Jong-il (also written as Kim Jong Il, Korean: 김정일, Hanja: 金正日; born 16 February 1941; official biographies state 16 February 1942) is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (also known as North Korea). He is the Chairman of the National Defense Commission, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, and General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (the ruling party since 1948). He succeeded his father Kim Il-sung, founder of North Korea, who died in 1994, and commands the fourth largest standing army in the world. North Korea officially refers to him as the "Dear Leader" and the "Great Leader".

Kim Il-sung (Korean: 김일성; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a Korean communist politician who led North Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death. He was also the General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea, exercising autocratic power. During his tenure as leader of North Korea, he favored his self-developed Juche variant of communist national organisation, and established a pervasive and entrenched cult of personality. Following his death in 1994, he was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. North Korea officially refers to Kim Il-sung as the "Great Leader" and he is designated in the constitution as the country's "Eternal President". His birthday is a public holiday in North Korea.

International Workers' Day (a name used interchangeably with may day) is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement. May Day commonly sees organized street demonstrations and street marches by millions of working people and their labour unions throughout most of the countries of the world.

Liberation Day (Korean hangul: 광복절, hanja: 光復節, RR: Gwangbokjeol, MR: Kwangbokchŏl, lit "restoration of light") is a public holiday in South Korea, celebrated annually on August 15. It coincides with Victory over Japan Day, which liberated Korea from Japanese occupation. In North Korea, it is celebrated as Fatherland Liberation Day (Chosŏn'gŭl: 조국해방의 날, hanja: 祖國解放의날, MR: Chogukhaebang'ŭi nal, RR: Jogukhaebangui nal). Korea did not gain actual independence on August 15, 1945, but was occupied by the Soviet and United States armies, which oversaw the decommissioning of Japanese troops in Korea. The northern half of the peninsula was occupied by the Red Army, and the southern half was occupied by the United States.

Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948.

The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It is also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP). The WPK has been the ruling party in the DPRK since its foundation and has had as its leaders, Kim Il-sung (1949–1994) and his son, Kim Jong-il (beginning in 1997, when he officially took over as general secretary). Kim Ki-Nam is the current Secretary of the Central Committee, as of October 2007. The party is widely viewed by the world as Stalinist and is indeed the closest thing to a traditional Stalinist ruling party in the world today. However, the WPK claims to have its own distinct ideology (Juche) which it considers to be superior to Marxism-Leninism.