Happy birthday? North Korea celebrates Kim Jong Il’s legacy
Day of the Shining Star —
Crowds gather to dance in Pyongyang to mark Kim Jong Il's birthday on February 16, 2014. The former dictator died in 2011. His birthday is a national holiday known throughout North Korea as the Day of the Shining Star.
Tim Neville
Birthday flower show —
Families frequently pose for photos with the portrait of regime founder Kim Il Sung (left) and his son, Kim Jong Il (right) at a flower show in Pyongyang celebrating Kim Jong Il's birthday. Commemorated in similar fashion, the birthday of Kim Il Sung is known as the Day of the Sun and falls on April 15.
Tim Neville
Foreigners welcome —
Tourists are welcome to dance with locals in celebration of the Day of the Shining Star.
Tim Neville
Flowers and missiles —
Yep, those are missiles in front of a portrait of Kim Jong Il surrounded by a display of Kimjongilias, the colorful flowers named after him.
Tim Neville
Tourist trap —
Yanggakdo Hotel is one of the few places where tourists are allowed to stay in Pyongyang. Signs announce the occasion of Kim Jong Il's birthday. Of the 1,000 rooms, about 30 were occupied during the holiday in 2014.
Tim Neville
Rank and file —
Citizens walk in orderly fashion to a show celebrating Kim Jong Il. The Korean Workers Party Monument, a Pyongyang landmark, is in the distance.
Tim Neville
Risky business at the palace —
A foreign photographer (kneeling in foreground) takes an officially forbidden photo of soldiers at ease in front of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where Kim Jong Il and his father, Kim Il Sung, lie in a mausoleum.
Tim Neville
Reminders everywhere —
In case anyone needed a reminder, the electronic billboard at a ski resort displays Kimjonilias in honor of the late leader's birthday.
Tim Neville
Lunch in Kaesong —
Tours to North Korea typically involve lots of food for tourists. Meanwhile, much of the country suffers from malnutrition.
Tim Neville
Kim Jong Il saluted his troops during a military parade in Pyongyang in 2002 to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country's army. He died after a heart attack in December 2011. State television reported that Kim died due to "overwork" after "dedicating his life to the people."