Photos] North Koreans in China ordered to present flowers on Kim Il Sung's birthday
North Koreans residing in Dandong, China, were seen entering the North Korean consulate carrying
flowers on the April 15 holiday celebrating Kim Il Sung's birthday. Image: Daily NK
North Koreans residing in the Chinese border city of Dandong were seen carrying bouquets of flowers into the North Korean consulate on Sunday as the country celebrates its April 15 "Day of the Sun" holiday marking the birthday of founding leader Kim Il Sung.
A source for Daily NK in Dandong recorded images of neatly-dressed North Koreans carefully carrying flowers while walking towards the entrance of the building.
North Koreans residing in Dandong, China, were seen entering the North Korean consulate
carrying flowers on the April 15 holiday celebrating Kim Il Sung's birthday. Image: Daily NK
Exterior of the North Korean consulate in Dandong, China. Image: Daily NK
Every year on the "Day of the Sun," people across North Korea are ordered to participate in mass mobilizations to lay flowers at portraits and statues of the deceased leader, and the situation is no different for North Koreans living outside the country.
North Koreans abroad may even be considered a more important target for these ideological exercises as they are more prone to foreign influences which may pry them away from their loyalty to the North Korean government. The requirement to lay flowers on this special holiday is one way in which the authorities attempt to instill and maintain this loyalty in North Koreans residing overseas.
Exterior view of the North Korean consulate in Dandong. Image: Daily NK
Bird's-eye view of the North Korean consulate in Dandong, China. Image: Google Earth
Meanwhile, state publication Rodong Sinmun reported on April 16 that Kim Jong Un on April 15 paid his respects to his grandfather at the mausoleum, known as the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, housing the embalmed bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang the previous day, laying “a basket of flowers marked with his own name.”
Other top figures present alongside Kim Jong Un at the event as reported in the Rodong Sinmun included President of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Nam, Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party Choe Ryong Hae, Cabinet Premier Pak Pong Ju, other organization heads, and government and Party cadres.
No comments:
Post a Comment