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Every February and April in North Korea, the whole country is busy preparing for the birthdays of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Especially, ‘Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Flower Festival (Exhibition)’ is one of the political events that cannot be overlooked.
This year, Korea Central News Agency announced that ‘The 8th Kim Il Sung Flower Festival’ will be held from the 13th to the 20th of April. “Kim Il Sung Flower Festival” has been held for 8 years since 1999.
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Flowers are raised in Chosun Central Botanical Garden (Built in 1959.4.30) and are displayed in Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Flower Exhibition Center which was built in April 2002 near Daedong River.
The total floor space of the Exhibition Center is 5000㎡, and is composed of two floors and one basement floor. The basement has storage space for cultivation of the flowers, the first floor has exhibition hall and office space and the second floor has a greenhouse. Facilities in the botanical garden are modenized, as the temperature, humidity, light and ventilation are controlled by computer. In 2005, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Flower Exhibition Center with floor space of 3,750 ㎡ was newly built in Haejoo, South Hwanghae province in 2005.
Flowers at ‘Kim Il Sung Flower Festival’ are displayed for the foreigners in Pyongyang, and people in the party, administration and social organizations. The 1st Kim Il Sung Flower Festival started in 1999, which was two years after the first Kim Jong Il Flower Festival.
At the 7th Kim Il Sung Flower Festival last year, the 40th Anniversary of selection of Kim Il Sung flower (1965.4) was celebrated while Megawati Sukarno Putri, the former president of Indonesia, attended, which was meaningful.
North Korean government uses the festival to encourage the North Korean people to reaffirm their royalty for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. During the festival, poems and songs are presented, such as ‘Imperishable Flower Kim Il Sung Flower’.
It Is Hard for Common People To Raise Those Flowers
Ms. Chun Kyung Ok (North Korean defector, 52) who used to teach at Kim Il Sung Research Center at Hamhung, South Hamkyung Province) said, local office for forestry decides on the location for cultivation of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il flower and select loyal officials to look over the cultivation”.
Ms. Chun said, “It was not easy to raise the flower, and the flowers were only allowed in the garden. When flowers were displayed in the research center for festivals, the flowers were brought from the garden”.
Ms. Chun also says, it is hard to raise Kim Il Sung flower at home, although Kim Jong Il flower could be raised at home. The reason is that Kim Jong Il Flower is subtropical plant which originates from Japan while Kim Il Sung Flower is tropical plant which cannot be raised in normal climate in North Korea.
“If one suceeds in raising Kim Il Sung flower, the whole family is called upon as great family”, Ms. Chun added.
