December is a trying month for ordinary North Koreans, with events commemorating the death of Kim Jong Il, his accession to supreme commander of the Chosun People’s Army, the successful December 12th long-range rocket launch and the birth of Kim Jong Suk occurring consecutively.
“No sooner had the mourning period for Kim Jong Il finished than the events for Kim Jong Suk began,” a source from northerly Yangkang Province reported to Daily NK on Christmas Eve, alluding to events commemorating the birth of Kim Jong Il’s mother on December 24th, 1917. “People have been mobilized for so many events this month that they have not even been able to work the markets properly.”
Rodong Shinmun, the publication of the Chosun Workers’ Party, has been promoting the 95th anniversary of Kim Jong Suk’s birth, with reports on special stamps on the 18th, an exhibition on the 19th, a celebratory performance on the 20th, and an athletic event on the 21st.
“People have been hearing from their people’s units that they will suffer if they fail to attend these events,” the source went on. “If they miss an event without permission they become targets for self-criticism, and they have to pay up even if they can explain what caused their absence.”
