KIS Birthday

With a 40-minute magic show at May Day Stadium, the DPRK began the final countdown to April 2012 which will mark the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-so’ng’s birth and a declaration of success in kangsong t’aeguk.  With the exception of the magic show, there were few differences in how the regime celebrated one of its most important holidays last year.

On 14 April [Thursday] a central report meeting was convened at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium.  According to KCNA, Kim Yo’ng-nam remarked:

His revolutionary idea and cause have been successfully carried forward by leader Kim Jong Il.

The reporter underlined the need for all the service persons and people to uphold the revolutionary idea and exploits of the President with pure conscience, carry out the revolution and construction as required by the Juche idea, the songun idea and the way the President did and devotedly implement his behests in all fields and at all units.

We should wage a fierce all-out offensive and a drive to make a breakthrough to realize the desire of the President for a great prosperous and powerful nation and thus bring about great changes on all fronts and commemorate the centenary of birth of the President as the greatest holiday of Kim Il Sung’s nation and a great auspicious holiday of mankind, the reporter urged, and went on: The army and people of the DPRK will never remain a passive onlooker to the reckless military provocations of the U.S. and the South Korean conservative authorities but mercilessly wipe out the aggressors and surely achieve the historic cause of national reunification.

Earlier on Thursday, a meeting of the Korean Children’s Union was held at Kumsusan Memorial Hall:

Present there on invitation were Choe Thae Bok, Yang Hyong Sop, Choe Ryong Hae, Mun Kyong Dok, officials of the working people’s organizations, officials of the youth league, war veterans, persons of merits, and parents of pupils.

The participants in the meeting made a salute in profound reverence, looking up to the portrait of smiling Generalissimo.

Ri Yong Chol, first secretary of the C.C. of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, said in his report: The undying exploits Kim Il Sung performed by training the younger generation as reliable successors to the revolutionary cause of juche with profound love and benevolence would shine forever.

The history of loving care shown by the Generalissimo is given steady continuity thanks to leader Kim Jong Il who has led the members of the union with warm care on the basis of his immensely noble view on the rising generation.

There are no youngsters in the world who are as proud and happy as the members of the union, he noted, calling on everybody to be good at study and organizational life and thus prepare themselves as genuine successors to the cause of the songun revolution.

A ceremony of joining the KCU took place at the meeting.

Led by Choe Ryong Hae, secretary of the C.C. of the Workers’ Party of Korea, pupils joining the union took an oath.

Leading officials, war veterans, persons of merits and officials of the youth league put red ties around their necks and pinned badges on their chests.
Then followed congratulatory speeches.

Kim Cho’ng-il returned to the Pyongyang area from Chagang Province.  In April 2010 for KIS Birthday, KCI watched military exercises and issued the largest promotions list since April 1997.  This year the list was more abbreviated:

In the order he said that the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK, founded and led by President Kim Il Sung along the road of invincibility, have further developed into the strong army of Mt. Paektu fully pervaded with the spirit of devotedly defending the leader and possessed of the invincible militant might under the Songun leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea, displaying to the full matchless heroism in defending the country and building a thriving socialist nation.

Expressing firm belief that the KPA commanding officers who have been trained under the care of the Party and the leader would as ever remain loyal to the leadership of the Party and fully discharge their duty in the sacred struggle to accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche started in Mt. Paektu, he ordered to promote their military ranks on the significant Day of the Sun.

According to the order, O Il Jong and Hwang Pyong So were promoted to Colonel General, Song Sok Won, Jang Jong Nam and three others to Lieut. General and 38 officers to Maj. General.

Kim Cho’ng-il also attended a concert by the art propaganda squad of KPA Unit 10215, which is linked to the Ministry of State Security:

Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, enjoyed a performance given by the art squad of KPA Unit 10215 on the occasion of the Day of the Sun, the birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung.

Among the audience were senior party and army officials Kim Jong Un, Ri Yong Ho, Kim Yong Chun, Choe Thae Bok, Hong Sok Hyong, Kim Kyong Hui, Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Gak, Kim Yang Gon, Pak To Chun, Thae Jong Su, Kim Phyong Hae, Mun Kyong Dok, Ju Kyu Chang, U Tong Chuk and Kim Chang Sop, servicepersons of the KPA and officials in the fields of literature, arts and media.

Members of the art squad staged colorful numbers of various genres. They included mixed quartet and chorus “Song of Happiness”, poem recital “Leader and April 15”, female solo “Our Unforgettable Leader”, flute and female chorus “The Party Is Care of General”, guitar ensemble and female solo “For My Only Motherland”, sketch “Issue of Impression”, bass guitar solo “Reunification Train Runs”, poem and story-telling “Our Lifeline” and chorus “Green Pine Standing on Nam Hill”.