North Korea marks birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il ahead of summit with US
- To commemorate the anniversary, known as “the Day of the Shining Star”, various cultural and sports events took place in Pyongyang
- Kim Jong-il died in 2011. He ruled the country for 17 years
National flags and placards have been placed along major thoroughfares of Pyongyang in celebration of the father of the current leader Kim Jong-un, who has recently pledged to revitalise the nation’s economy hit hard by international sanctions.
Ahead of Kim Jong-un’s planned summit with US President Donald Trump on February 27-28 in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, political slogans in public spaces made no mention of the country’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes.
To commemorate the anniversary, known as “the Day of the Shining Star” in North Korea, various cultural and sports events, including a flower festival, a figure skating show and an artistic swimming performance, have taken place in Pyongyang.
The Day of the Shining Star is one of the most important holidays in North Korea, along with April 15, called the “Day of the Sun,” which marks the birth of the nation’s founder Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-un’s grandfather.
At an annual exhibition featuring more than 30,000 roots of “Kimjongilia,” a red blossom of the begonia family named after the former leader, there were no replicas of satellite-carrying rockets or missiles, unlike on previous anniversaries.
Missiles and rockets are “not necessary” for the festival to celebrate the birth of the late leader, Kim Ji Sung, a 25-year-old Japanese-speaking guide, said.