KPOP Meaning
KST stands for Korea Standard Time. Korea's Act on Standard Time sets the meridian at 135 degrees east longitude as the standard meridian. According to Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan Standard Time is UTC advanced by nine hours, the time difference for 135 degrees east. KST is therefore UTC+9, the same as Japan time, so no conversion is needed in Japan. The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) generates and maintains the national standard time and offers UTCk 4, a free download that syncs computers and servers to KST. K-pop release times follow the target market: a 2025 report said releases aimed at the US come out at 1 p.m. KST, midnight on the US East Coast during daylight saving time, while 6 p.m. has been the norm in Korea since around 2018.
Usage
Used for release and broadcast times, e.g. "out at 6PM KST".
Examples
- A song announced for "6PM KST" is out at 6 p.m. in Japan too.
- Outside Japan, convert KST to local time.
In context
Sources
- KRISS news (2026-01-27)
What we checked
uses Korea Standard Time generated by KRISS…synchronize it with an accuracy of within 0.1 seconds / The program is available for free download via the UTCk 4 webpage / KRISS generates and maintains UTC(KRIS)…which serves as the basis for Korea Standard Time
- Asia News Network (The Korea Herald): K-pop timing secrets: 1pm or 6pm? (May 6, 2025)
What we checked
release times are usually tailored to the target region…if the US and global music markets are the focus, the release is set to coincide with midnight in that region…During daylight saving time in the US, this translates to 1 p.m. KST…it has become a general rule to release music then [6 p.m.]…This trend began in 2018, but previously, midnight was the most important release time
- Korea Law Information Center: Act on Standard Time (Act No. 10640, effective May 19, 2011)
What we checked
Korea Law Information Center: Act on Standard Time (Act No. 10640, effective May 19, 2011)
- NICT: Generating Japan Standard Time
What we checked
NICT: Generating Japan Standard Time