Erasing Predecessors' Traces While Establishing an 'Independent Position'
'New Year's Loyalty Oath' Also Held to Coincide with Kim Jong Un's Birthday
Residents Not Yet Official... Biological Mother Ko Yong Hui Complex
Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, celebrated his forty-first birthday. Although it has not yet been established as an official commemorative day like his predecessors, attention is being drawn to the intensified idolization efforts to solidify his independent position.
According to the Ministry of Unification on the 8th, this day is known as the day Kim Jong-un was born. Although North Korean authorities have not officially announced Kim's birthday, it was indirectly confirmed through reports by North Korean media during the 2014 visit of American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who mentioned, "I came to Joseon to celebrate the Marshal's birthday."
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un is presiding over the 11th plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party. During the meeting held from the 23rd to the 27th of last month, Chairman Kim declared the 'Strongest Hardline Strategy for Responding to the U.S.' Photo by Yonhap News.
In North Korea, the birthdays of President Kim Il-sung (April 15, the Day of the Sun) and Chairman Kim Jong-il (February 16, the Day of the Shining Star) are observed as major holidays. The Day of the Sun is designated as the greatest national holiday. However, according to sources, Kim Jong-un's birthday was not separately marked even in North Korea's 2025 calendar issued this year.
Although not yet official, attention to Kim Jong-un's birthday has increased since last year as he has openly begun 'erasing traces of his predecessors.' This has become an indicator to gauge the level of his independent idolization. For example, since coming to power, he had paid respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his predecessors are said to be enshrined, every New Year's Day, but he has not participated since last year. According to the Ministry of Unification, the 'oath of loyalty' ceremony, which was also held every New Year's Day gathering residents, was held last year on Kim Jong-un's birthday instead.
In particular, the notation of the 'Juche calendar,' which starts from 1912, the birth year of President Kim Il-sung, has begun to be removed. This is analyzed as a characteristic of the Kim Jong-un era, which aims to be a normal state. Since October last year, the Juche calendar was removed from the Rodong Sinmun newspaper seen by residents, and recently, the notation was also deleted from newly issued stamps and postcards.
Additionally, North Korea has started distributing badges featuring only Kim Jong-un's portrait instead of the dual portrait badges of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. At the Party Central Cadre School, Kim Jong-un's portrait has been placed alongside those of his predecessors. Although he came to power at a young age, he has now risen to the same level as his predecessors.
Regarding the reason for not informing residents of Kim Jong-un's birthday, some interpret it as reflecting a 'complex' related to his biological mother, Ko Yong-hui. Since she was not officially married to Kim Jong-il and was a repatriated Korean resident from Japan, her background is considered fatal to the idolization of the 'Baekdu bloodline,' which symbolizes the anti-Japanese revolutionary movement.
An official from the Ministry of Unification analyzed, "In the early days of his rule, Kim Jong-un often appeared to rely on his predecessors, but since then, he has continued a series of efforts to independently strengthen his status." Regarding the official recognition of his birthday, the official said, "No trends related to the official recognition of his birthday have been detected since he came to power."
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