Information from inside sources indicates
that North Korean authorities did not distribute special rations for Kim Il
Sung’s Birthday celebrations on April 15th. Middle-school uniforms were also
expected to be handed out during the anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birthday – or
“Day of the Sun” – but these hopes were met with disappointment as
well.
“Although news broadcasts were chock
full of enthusiastic chatter about the Suryeong’s birthday, there were zero
special rations distributed: no rice, alcohol, or oil. The children – who
received small candies – were the only ones to get anything,” a Yangkang
Province-based source told the Daily NK during a telephone call earlier today.
He added, “Since no uniforms were
provided for students on the first day of the new semester, lots of people were
expecting that they would get doled out on the Day of the Sun. These hopes went
unfulfilled. An inminban [people’s unit] head explained the absence of the rations
by blaming a logistical delay, but no one is gullible enough to actually
believe that.”
According to the source, North Koreans were
celebrating the Day of the Sun by making offers to Kim Il Sung statues,
pledging their loyalty to the Suryeong, and gathering together to sing songs.
“There may have been a fireworks
presentation in Pyongyang, but I’m not sure. I can say that things were pretty
quiet around these parts. Seeing the lack of rations and the subdued nature of
the events, some people are saying that it seems like the Suryeong’s birthday
is no longer much of a holiday anymore,” he asserted.
Most were expecting at least a small
distribution this year due to the lack thereof in the last few years. When this
year proved to be no different, some expressed their exasperation by saying, “I’m glad it worked out this way! Even if we did get special rations, they
probably would have been lower quality than the stuff we can buy in the
markets.'”
In July of 1997, the Central Committee of
the Workers Party, the Central Military Commission, and the National Defense
Committee passed a resolution to “shine a light on the immortal deeds of
revolutionary comrade Kim Il Sung” by marking his birthday as the “Day of the Sun.”
After the passage of the law, North Korean
authorities distributed rice, meat, alcohol, and other goods as special
holiday rations to honor the leader, whipping up loyalty to and respect for him. The past few years, however, have seen no such special disbursements.
