By Kim Young-jin
Festivities are apparently in full swing in North Korea to observe the birthday of late country founder Kim Il-sung, which falls today, amid signs of the occasion being used to bolster the hereditary succession underway there.
The North’s state media reported Thursday that various cultural performances were underway, including those by foreign performers, to mark the 99th anniversary of Kim’s birth.
This year’s bash comes with the backdrop that the regime is bolstering the power succession from leader Kim Jong-il to his youngest son Kim Jong-un, who was formalized as heir last September.
In a sign that Pyongyang is trumpeting Jong-un as the next leader, the North’s official television station had been airing orchestral performances of “Footsteps,” a state penned song known to fete the twenty-something heir, for the occasion. It is the first time performances of the song have been aired on television.
State television was also reportedly running shows propagandizing Jong-un throughout the day.
On Wednesday, the North elevated 45 senior military officers, including a younger generation of the elite known to be close to the Kim family.
Among those elevated to general was O Il-jong, the son of O Jin-u, a former People’s Armed Forces minister and a revolutionary who fought against Japan’s imperial reign of the peninsula.
State media also said an air show and performances from Russian, Polish and artists from other Eastern-block countries were scheduled.
Seoul’s Ministry of Unification said the festivities appeared to be of a normal scale.
One the biggest holiday’s in the Stalinist State along with leader Kim’s birthday, the occasion is typically marked with rallies, mass games, art and flower exhibitions and other lavish events.
This year’s holiday is likely to pale in comparison to next year’s, expected to be a massive affair to mark the centennial of founder Kim’s birth.
The preparations coincide with Pyongyang’s continued appeals for food aid. Analysts say Pyongyang could be stockpiling food in order to supply citizens during next year’s affair, in a bid to build support for Jong-un.
Pyongyang last week approved a 15.1 percent budget increase for construction projects, seen as a sign of preparation for the occasion. The North has pronounced it will emerge as a powerful nation in 2012, when watchers say the junior may complete his succession process.