Birthday of Kim Il-Sung

The birthday of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung on April 15, 1912, is marked as a public holiday throughout North Korea (official name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea). The holiday is known as the Day of the Sun . All over the country, people lay floral wreaths and baskets before the hundreds of statues that commemorate Kim. The main observances take place in the capital city Pyongyang, where officials of numerous organizations and citizens lay flowers at one of the nation's grandest monuments to Kim, located on Mansu Hill.
The late leader's birthday celebration often coincides with the Araring Festival, named after a famous Korean folk song. During the renowned mass games of the festival, up to 100,000 participants take part in various large-scale synchronized dance and gymnastics displays in Pyongyang's 150,000-seat May Day stadium. Tens of thousands of well-trained school children create an effect close to animation in the stadium's stands by flashing colored flashcards in intricately timed routines.
Kim Il-Sung ruled North Korea from 1945 until his death in 1994. Known in his country as the "Great Leader," he is proclaimed in the national constitution as the "eternal president." The current leader of North Korea is his son, Kim Jong-Il. Both men are publicly adulated under the "cult of personality" that was part of Kim Il-Sung's distinctive political philosophy. Today, North Korea is a Communist country with a repressive government.

CONTACTS:
Permanent Representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the United Nations
820 Second Ave.
New York, NY 10017
212-972-3105; fax: 212-972-3154
www.korea-dpr.com
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