North Korea created a festive atmosphere to celebrate the 112th anniversary of the Day of the Sun, Kim Il Sung’s birthday (April 15th).
The Workers’ Party of North Korea’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on the 15th, “The day of the nation’s greatest celebration, which our people celebrate with pride year after year, has dawned in our homeland where a new era of full-scale national revival is unfolding under the guidance of the Party Central Committee.”
According to the newspaper, Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, praised Kim Il Sung on the Day of the Sun, saying, “Kim Il Sung led our revolution to a hundred victories under the banner of independence, pioneering and illuminating modern history as an excellent and sophisticated leader of the revolution.”
On the eve of the Day of the Sun, various festivities, including a night party for young students and commemorative fireworks, were held in Kim Il Sung Square in the capital, Pyongyang.
The newspaper mentioned, “The night party climaxed with the participants singing. We will defend General Kim Jong Un with our lives. The night party and fireworks of the young students, who beautifully decorated the meaningful April festival, powerfully demonstrated the revolutionary spirit of the passionate youth who will forever be loyal to the respected father, Marshal Kim Jong Un, and will make our great nation shine more.”
While North Korean media conveyed congratulations through various events news, they were restrained in using the term Day of the Sun.
The term Day of the Sun was only used in the report that party officials “laid a flower basket in front of the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on the meaningful Day of the Sun.” Otherwise, expressions like April festival or Spring festival in April were generally used.
As the Day of the Sun, along with the Day of the Shining Star, which is the birthday (February 16th) of Kim Jong Il, is one of North Korea’s major holidays, changes this year are noteworthy.
A South Korean government official from the Ministry of Unification said in a meeting with reporters at the Seoul Government Complex on the 9th, “It’s unusual to express it with a different name without using the names Day of the Shining Star and Day of the Sun. It would be right to observe and judge until the following 15th.”
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