Fabricated birthdays of N.Korean leaders

South Korean intelligence was monitoring North Korea’s state-run news agency and was puzzled to hear “celebrate our leader’s 40th birthday “on Feb. 16, 1982. A year ago, the Stalinist country`s media announced the observance of Kim Jong Il’s 40th birthday and then repeated the announcement. Later, Seoul found that this was because of Pyongyang’s plan to make the last digit of Kim’s birth year identical with that of his father Kim Il Sung, who was born in 1912. The North also replaced Kim Jong Il’s birth place from Khabarovsk in Russian Far East to Miryong-ri near Mount Baekdu in North Korea. Kim Jong Il was said to be born in a log cabin that was exactly 216 meters higher than Jong Il Peak on the mountain. When he was born, the report said, the world was covered with snow in the atmosphere of a silver-white festival. All rank-and-file soldiers under the leadership of Kim Jong Il were attracted by "energy resonating throughout the world and engraved a phrase on a tree saying, `Kwangmyongsong (a lode star) is above Mount Baekdu.`" Kwangmyongsong is also the name of North Korea’s satellite.

In North Korea, the birthday of Kim Il Sung, called the "Day of the Sun," is acknowledged to be April 15, 1912, and is the country`s biggest holiday. The country`s founder is glorified as an extraordinary leader who made a grenade with a pine cone and crossed the Daedong River on a leaf. Official North Korean documents say a double rainbow was seen above his birthplace and a new star rose above the sky at night the same day when the Titanic sank. Given that Pyongyang calls its people “Kim Il Sung folk,” it seems to be capable of changing everything. In the middle of the North Korean capital lie the mummified bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in glass casts to live eternally.

Rumor has it that the birth year of incumbent leader Kim Jong Un has also been manipulated. The North says he was born in 1982, which contradicts what South Korean intelligence (1984) and Kim Jong Il`s former Japanese sushi chef (1983) say. Kim Jong Un`s birth year might have been switched to rhyme with those of his grandfather (70-year difference) and his father (40 years) because Pyongyang likes years ending with zero. Kim Jong Un is being glorified at a slow pace because the traditional three-year mourning period for his late father Kim Jong Il has not ended. The North`s long-range missile was named after Kim Jong Un’s nickname “Eunha (galaxy),” and the 31-year-old leader has become the father of his people.

The North recently released the first official picture of Ri Sol Ju, the wife of Kim Jong Un. She seems to have lost weight presumably because she gave birth. Rumors abounded over her pregnancy until late last year because of her belly size. Given that Pyongyang has kept information about the first lady low key, news about her childbirth is unlikely to be released. If the North chooses 2012 as the year of her child’s birth, it will say he or she will be the leader of the century who was born in the year of his or her great grandfather’s centennial birthday. If it chooses 2013, what will be the child’s birthday – Kim Il Sung’s (April 15) or Kim Jong Il’s (Feb. 16)?

Editorial Writer Ha Tae-won (triplets@donga.com)