North Korea celebrated the 110th anniversary of the birth of the late founder Kim Il Sung on Friday with explosives and an evening gallery in the main square of Pyongyang, with thousands of people in colorful traditional costumes singing and dancing. Kim, who died in 1994, founded a dictatorship led by her grandson, Kim Jong Un. This year’s holiday marks 110 years since Kim Il Sung was born on April 15, 1912, and North Korea generally holds major festivals every fifth and tenth year.
The KCNA news agency said
State media broadcast live an exhibition in Kim Il Sung square after sundown on Friday, but did not show any signs of the expected military parade. Other past events included concerts, art exhibitions, and exhibitions. A small festival has been opened in the city of Pyongyang, with dance springs and decorated boats on the Taedong River, KCNA regional news company said. The festival “artfully illustrates” Kim Il Sung’s home and “the holy mountain of change, Mt Paektu,” KCNA said. Citizens can take pictures in front of arches erected with slogans such as “Pyongyang’s Best” and “We Are the happiest in the World.”
Other overseas dance groups from Russia, Romania, Austria and Laos have played video, says KCNA, but as border crossings are still severely restricted as a means of fighting the epidemic, there are no reports of foreign visits. has been plagued by international closures and international sanctions because of its nuclear programs and missiles, and aid agencies have warned of possible humanitarian crises. Earlier in the week, Kim Jong Un donated new apartments to some of his loyal people, including the country’s most popular TV presenter, and attended the opening of a major public housing project.
officials in Seoul and Washington say
International observers have said commercial satellite images are showing military preparations for the holiday season, but there is no guarantee that there will be a show from Friday evening. The celebrations come after North Korea again began exploring in March its largest area between continents. ballistic missiles (ICBMs), for the first time since 2017, and officials in Seoul and Washington say there are signs that it could resume nuclear weapons testing. The testing of large weapons is sometimes set aside for special holidays.
