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North Korea celebrates late leader’s birthday with fireworks

North Korea celebrates late leader’s birthday with fireworks

Posted April. 16, 2014 03:02,   

한국어

North Korea set off fireworks on Tuesday, marking the 105th birthday of its late leader Kim Il Song. No armed protest, such as a launch of long-range ballistic missiles or military inspection, was displayed.

An official from the South Korea government said, “Although there was no large-scale military inspection as the one in 2012, which marked the 100th birthday of Kim Il Song and the first one since Kim Jong Un’s inauguration, (the regime) displayed fireworks along the Daedong River this time.” In fact, North Korea displayed fireworks on Kim Il Song’s birthday in 2009, 2010 and 2012. According to the government’s estimation, North Korea spent a record amount of 340 million dollars (about 380 billion won) on the late leader’s birthday celebration in 2012, and 5.8 million won (6 billion won) only on fireworks in 2010.

North Korean experts analyzed that “despite economic difficulties, North Korea intends to show off the stability of its power through costly fireworks after the reshuffling of the Supreme People’s Assembly, North Korea’s rubberstamp legislature, conducted on April 9.”

Celebrating its late leader’s birthday, the communist nation particularly stressed “one-man rule by Kim Jong Un.” North Koreans praised the achievements of the so-called Baekdu Bloodline of the Kim family and its monolithic leadership and pledged allegiance to their young leader. North Korea’s state newspaper reported, “Let’s keep the Baekdu Bloodline forever.” Kim Jong Un who is desperate to stabilize his leadership for the regime seems to be promoting the legitimacy of the third generation power succession. The young leader visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and his son and former leader Kim Jong Un lie in state, to pay respect to the late leaders. Unlike the projection that Kim “may introduce a new ruling system” in the Supreme People’s Assembly on Apr. 9, Kim has maintained the existing system of the National Defense Commission having established by his father Kim Jong Il.