N. Korea urges enduring loyalty to state leader on his grandfather's birthday
North Korea recalled the revolutionary feats of late national founder Kim Il-sung on his birth anniversary Tuesday, stressing enduring loyalty to his grandson and current state leader Kim Jong-un.
The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's ruling party newspaper, carried the message in an editorial on the day the country marked the 113th anniversary of the founder's birth.
"The juche (self-reliance) ideology, established by the supreme leader (Kim Il-sung) is being continuously developed and enriched by the extraordinary ideological activities of ... respected comrade Kim Jong-un," the newspaper said, urging loyalty to ensure the realization of his ideas.
The paper praised the current leader's key state visions, such as those on developing the defense industry, as "scientific implementation doctrines" that are propelling the country's socialism toward steady progress.
"By more thoroughly consolidating the respected comrade's sole leadership system, the strong spirit of advancing the revolution ... solely in line with his ideological will must be upheld," it noted.
In celebration of the founder's birth anniversary, North Korea also held various cultural and commemorative events across the nation, including an art performance at the Pyongyang Youth Palace, on Monday, the state-run North Korean Central News Agency also reported.
In recent years, North Korea has steadily decreased the use of the reverential term for the founder's birthday, "the Day of the Sun," as the country increasingly distances Kim Jong-un's authority from his ancestors and focuses its idolization campaign on the current leader.
The North is instead increasingly referring to the founder's birth anniversary simply as April 15 or the April national holiday.
"The North is expected to continue diluting (the legacy of Kim's) ancestors while maintaining the idolization campaign (for him), though it may proceed gradually in consideration of public receptivity," an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry said. (Yonhap)
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