Kim Jong-il’s birthday means 5-day holiday for North
Published: 15 Feb. 2007, 21:30
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il celebrates his 65th birthday today, meaning North Koreans will enjoy a special five-day holiday. The first two days are in celebration of the birthday and the other three are for the Lunar New Year holiday.
It is unusual for the North Korean regime to give a holiday for the Lunar New Year, although it is one of the biggest holidays in South Korea.
The North Korean regime regards the birthdays of Mr. Kim and his father, the late Kim Il Sung, as the two biggest national holidays.
The father’s birthday is April 15 and is called “The Day of the Sun.” Before 2003, North Korea did not have a big celebration for the Lunar New Year holiday, because it does not fit into the regime’s communist lore. Starting in 2003, however, Kim Jong-il gave instructions to make the celebration bigger than the solar New Year.
According to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, there have been about 29 events this year in celebration of Mr. Kim’s birthday. One event, the ministry said, was a march to Mount Paektu by teenage students from around the country, Feb. 1 to 6. At the mountain, which lies on the northern border of China, the students pledged loyalty to the regime.
Despite a shortage of dollars due to financial sanctions, the regime mobilized pro-North Korean groups in 40 countries, including Switzerland, to celebrate Mr. Kim’s birthday. The groups talk about glorifying the “Dear Leader” and show North Korean movies, according to the ministry.
The ministry said that as far as it knows, the North Korean regime did not buy goods such as pork and sugar for special distribution to its people, perhaps due to financial difficulties from sanctions imposed by Washington and the United Nations.
The South Korean ministry said Pyongyang is not stressing the agreement reached in the six-party talks three days ago before Mr. Kim’s birthday. In Pyongyang’s state-run media the term “suspension of operation” is being used instead of “disablement” of nuclear facilities, as stipulated in the agreement.
By Lee Young-jong JoongAng Ilbo [[email protected]]
It is unusual for the North Korean regime to give a holiday for the Lunar New Year, although it is one of the biggest holidays in South Korea.
The North Korean regime regards the birthdays of Mr. Kim and his father, the late Kim Il Sung, as the two biggest national holidays.
The father’s birthday is April 15 and is called “The Day of the Sun.” Before 2003, North Korea did not have a big celebration for the Lunar New Year holiday, because it does not fit into the regime’s communist lore. Starting in 2003, however, Kim Jong-il gave instructions to make the celebration bigger than the solar New Year.
According to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, there have been about 29 events this year in celebration of Mr. Kim’s birthday. One event, the ministry said, was a march to Mount Paektu by teenage students from around the country, Feb. 1 to 6. At the mountain, which lies on the northern border of China, the students pledged loyalty to the regime.
Despite a shortage of dollars due to financial sanctions, the regime mobilized pro-North Korean groups in 40 countries, including Switzerland, to celebrate Mr. Kim’s birthday. The groups talk about glorifying the “Dear Leader” and show North Korean movies, according to the ministry.
The ministry said that as far as it knows, the North Korean regime did not buy goods such as pork and sugar for special distribution to its people, perhaps due to financial difficulties from sanctions imposed by Washington and the United Nations.
The South Korean ministry said Pyongyang is not stressing the agreement reached in the six-party talks three days ago before Mr. Kim’s birthday. In Pyongyang’s state-run media the term “suspension of operation” is being used instead of “disablement” of nuclear facilities, as stipulated in the agreement.
By Lee Young-jong JoongAng Ilbo [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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