[imText1]With only a day in remaining, North Korea is preparing a grand festival to offer high respects to Kim Jong Il for his 65th birthday (Feb 16th), with artistic performances, a field day, an exhibition of Kim Jong Il’s paintings and formal revolutionary addresses.
Even abroad, pro-North Korea organizations are opening a variety of festivals including forums and movie screenings, under the title “committee for the birthday preparation”. Internationally, committees have formed in 40 or so different countries.
In particular, this year North Korea celebrates not only Kim Il Sung’s 95th birthday but the 75th anniversary of establishing the Army, as well as Kim Jong Il’s 65th birthday. Placing great emphasis on the fact that each of the celebrations ended on a 5 unit denomination, songs and high respects are being organized in honor of these days.
Around the nation, high ranking officers from the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces will participate in various competitions such as ‘The Presentation of Honorable Kim Jong Il’ (Feb 10th), youths throughout the nation will compete in contests such as “The loyalty vow” (Feb 1st~6th), “The 11th Kim Jong Il Flower Exhibition” (Feb 8th~21st) whereas the ministerial elite will participate in “The Combined Kim Jong Il Conference” (Feb 1st).
The Kim Jong Il flower, a perennation was presented by a Japanese horticulturalist Gamo Mododeru in 1988. It was named as “the immortal flower.”
On Jan 26th the Central Broadcasting reported that “The 11th Anniversary of Kim Jong Il flower will be ‘greater than the past with a combination of ideologies and arts presented in an interesting style.’” The topic of these celebrations is ‘Shining Kim Jong Il flowers against the brilliant twilight of a developed nation.”
Since the beginning of Jan 15th, an extra-large sized mosaic fresco has been constructed from Independence Street and Unification Street in Pyongyang city. This fresco portrays propaganda with the phrases “Our comrade Kim Il Sung will be with us forever” and “May there be eternal prosperity” written across the walls.
Furthermore, in honor of Kim Jong Il’s 65th birthday, the words “The Great Military General Kim Jong 96.2.12” were engraved on the side of a crag. In 2002, the words “The Greatest Commander from Heaven, Kim Jong Il, 91.2.16” were engraved onto rock faces in Geumgang Mountain.
This year, it seems that the celebrations will revolve around inciting greater respect for Kim Jong Il, using the opportunity to strengthen solidarity of the regime.
