Today (April 15) is the 112th birthday of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, which is called Sun Festival in North Korea. North Korea’s official media KCNA and the Rodong Sinmun reported that cadres of the Workers’ Party celebrated the Sun Festival on the occasion of the Sun Festival. , laying flowers to the bronze statues of leader Kim Jong-un’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and his father, Kim Jong-il. Some North Korean media even published articles promoting Kim Jong-un's carrying forward the ideas of his ancestors and emphasizing the need to firmly support the Kim family regime.
The front-page editorial of "Rodong Sinmun" listed Kim Il-sung's achievements, saying that Kim Jong-un comprehensively carried forward the revolutionary thoughts of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, asked the people to unite closely, and made Kim Jong-un the core of the Party Central Committee.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that the frequency of use of the term "Sun Festival" by North Korean media has decreased significantly this year, and has recently been replaced by "April Holiday". Officials from South Korea's Unification Ministry did not explicitly respond to the North Korean media's use of the term "Sun Festival" today, but pointed out that the North Korean media will continue to use this day to strengthen internal unity and loyalty to Kim Jong-un's leadership this year, and this direction has not changed.
The Korean Central News Agency also published pictures showing that North Korea held a youth student party and salute firing event for Kim Il-sung's 112th birthday in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on Sunday night (14th).
The South Korean military had earlier predicted that North Korea would launch a military reconnaissance satellite as soon as this week to celebrate the Sun Festival, Kim Il Sung's birthday; however, if it is delayed by a few days, the launch may be at the end of April.
