Underneath North Korean spectacle

By Kim Young-jin

Rows of goose-stepping soldiers and military hardware moved with precision through Kim Il-sung Square, Sunday, where throngs of citizens cheered “mansei” ㅡ meaning long life ­ㅡ to their ruling family.

Only in North Korea.

The North pulled out all the stops for the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung, a landmark date by which time the impoverished country had promised to emerge as a “strong and prosperous” state.

Pyongyang has few peers when it comes to mobilizing its people for elaborate and highly-orchestrated events to hail its leaders, who are praised to near god-like proportions.

Drums boomed throughout the square as soldiers carried red flags, and tanks, rocket launchers and missiles were rolled out in a massive show of force.

Citizens using colored flowers formed the names of their leaders as well as communist slogans, while large balloons floating over the square urged unity from the people.

Accommodation in the city was reportedly full to the brim with foreign guests, and foreign journalists were on the scene to report the activities.

But as with so much in the North, the stars of the show were not the people, but the ruling family.

Overlooking the scene was Kim Jong-un, the young man who took power following the death of his father Kim Jong-il, and whose name was chanted by the tens of thousands who attended the affair.

"Let's move on toward our final victory!" Kim proclaimed in his first public speech, which analysts said intended to tie him to the country’s militarist policy and the legacy of his father and grandfather. This came despite the North’s failed satellite launch two days earlier, which was regarded by many as cover for a long-range missile test.

The festivities were the culmination of months of intense work to prepare the capital for the occasion, including the construction of new high-rise apartments and cultural amenities.

“By proclaiming an era of strength and prosperity, the North Korean regime is trying to convince the population into believing that the years to come will be better, in order to maintain power,” Park Young-ho, an analyst with the Korea Institute for National Unification said in a recent interview.

But when the festivities end, analysts say the North will be left with enormous challenges and tough choices to live up to its promises.