On February 16th, Kim Jong Il’s 66th birthday (actual age 67) came around again. In North Korea, Kim Jong Il’s birthday is called the “Great General’s Birthday.” Originally, North Korea’s top holiday could be considered Kim Il Sung’s birthday (April 15th), but on this day, Kim Jong Il’s birthday has been etched as the even more significant event.
For a truly socialist state, it makes sense to count the “Founding of the Communist Party Day” (September 9th) ” or the “Party Founding Day (October 10th) ” as the top national holidays, but in North Korea, the birthdays of the Kim father and son are considered the most important days of commemoration. This is something that could only have been possible during the feudal dynasty periods.
According to the policies of the North Korean authorities and the Worker’s Party which say that Kim Jong Il’s birthday should be considered the top national holiday, North Korean citizens are forced to a tremendous amount of event participation and labor mobilization. The citizens are busy trying to seek out their survival while “Kim Jong Il Flowers” exhibitions and “cooking competitions” are being held.
The goal of the February 16th event is to “make the General happy.”
Party leaders emphasize “making the General happy” with Kim Jong Il’s upcoming birthday. At all kinds of “reporting competitions,” they have to express their devotion by exaggerating economic results. At the factory enterprise offices, slogans such as “Let us bring an even greater happiness and devotion to the great General through milestones in economic progress” are hung and agriculturalists at each farm are forced to produce an even greater fertilizer output.
At party and national administrative organizations, each enterprise laborer and civilians in people’s units are requested to produce several hundred kilograms worth of fertilizer. Without fuel and means of transportation, civilians have to use snow sleds to carry feces and the humus soil to farms a few kilometers away. They have to submit the quota of fertilizers to the farms and receive verification forms.
If the fertilizer production plan is not reached before February 16th, the factory manager or the party secretary are discharged or are punished as subjects of ideological criticisms.
The commemorative events for Kim Jong Il’s birthday takes place from the beginning of February. The civilians have to participate in every event; each factory office, people’s units, levels of schools decide on February 1st as the starting day for carrying out inspection visits to “Places of historical achievement for revolutionary activities of the great leader Kim Jong Il.”
Laborers, as soon as they get to work, have to carefully read propagandistic documents praising Kim Jong Il for 20 minutes and have to learn new songs praising him. On Saturdays (in North Korea, every Saturday is a political lecture meeting day), the regular evaluation meeting is completed in the morning and Kim Jong Il’s analects studies and lecture meetings proclaiming the greatness of Kim Jong Il ensure for 2~3 hours.
When Kim Jong Il’s birthday approaches, people have to attend documentary film screenings of Kim Jong Il’s revolutionary activities at movie theaters or at the Kim Jong Il Revolutionary Activity Research Institute. Mobilized civilians sit and wait for the completion of the events while shuddering in cold interiors without heating systems.
Also, from the beginning of February, people are selected per factory enterprise offices and People’s Units to execute the “Stories Meeting of Devotion” and “Singing Meetings of Devotion.” They usually practice for about 15 days and hold performances on February 14th and 15th. The North Korean authorities, through TV, newspaper, and radio broadcasts, send out messages idolizing “Revolutionary Stories” or “Revolutionary Anecdotes.”
“The General’s Gift” is merely a kg of snacks and two-days worth of provisions
“February 16th National Holiday Reporting Meetings” are organized by each province, city, and county, including Pyongyang, and the “Kim Jong Il Flowers Exhibit” and athletic competitions are held every year. The “Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League” selects around a million of young people from factories and organizes a “Marching Unit for field investigation of Mt. Baekdu Billet (known as Kim Jong Il’s birth place).” This event is a week-long march of around 275 km from Haesan, Yankang Province to Mt. Baekdu Billet in Samjiyeon. Many young people get frost bites during the march.
The party leaders receive special gift sets, sent by Kim Jong Il, around February 16th. Usually, the contents include a set of suit material, luxury liquor, tangerines, apples, and different kinds of seasonings.
Provisions are also given out to average civilians and students. Each household is given two days worth of provisions as well as a bottle of liquor and oil. Approximately a kilogram of snacks (candy, cookies, gum, and traditional rice cookies) are given to elementary school students and pre-school children.
On the morning of February 16th, each enterprise office and people’s units visit the Kim Il Sung statue and have a “Flower Basket Presentation Ceremony” which pledges devotion to Kim Jong Il. The ceremony generally takes place from 8 to 10 in the morning.
On Kim Jong Il’s birthday, the provision of electricity to factories stops and is channeled to civilian households instead so that people can engage in the viewing of TV. After the completion of all events, the day of rest actually begins from the afternoon of February 16th.
After the events, everyone disperses and goes home or meets with friends for drinks, but there is not too much movement of people on the roads. People cannot trade in the cold season of winter and are forced to attend event locations here and there, so there actually is not a more wearisome holiday than Kim Jong Il’s birthday.
After the 6th National Convention of the Party in 1980, Kim Jong Il’s birthday has been etched as an official holiday. Since then, North Korean citizens have been suffering from such a forced puppet play for 28 years.
