“Kim Jong-un-ism” and Kim Il-sung's Birthday Celebration

On April 15, 2025, North Korea commemorates the 113th birth anniversary of its founding leader Kim Il-sung. To adventure enthusiasts uninterested in political affairs, this national holiday has morphed into a clever marketing tool for Pyongyang to attract tourists. Tour operators like Young Pioneer Tours and KTG offer exclusive packages to immerse travelers in the grand celebrations of Kim Il-sung's birthday. These tours provide a rare opportunity to witness the nation's meticulously orchestrated military parades, vibrant mass dances held at iconic landmarks across the country and dazzling display of fireworks over the Taedong River, satisfying foreign guests’ curiosity about one of the world's most secretive nations.

At the same time, this event, officially known as the "Day of the Sun," has in the eyes of many, evolved beyond a simple remembrance to serve as a form of political theater orchestrated by Kim Jong-un's regime.

DIMINISHING THE FOUNDER’S SIGNIFICANCE

Building on the subdued tone of last year’s events, this year’s celebration is anticipated to subtly diminish the emphasis on Kim Il-sung's personality cult. Since 2024, North Korean state media has ceased using the traditional term “Sun Festival,” opting instead for the more ambiguous title "April Spring People’s Art Festival." This change was not incidental but rather part of a deliberate strategy. The late leaders, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, were once deified as "eternal suns" in North Korea’s political discourse. However, after Kim Jong-un ascended to power, he gradually redirected the narrative toward themes of "self-reliance" and "nuclear power," moving away from the absolute deification of his predecessors in an intentional effort to break ties with the legacy of his forebears and construct a political identity that is uniquely his own. 

In parallel, Pyongyang's propaganda has increasingly emphasized the ideology known as "Kim Jong-un-ism" to reduce the significance of anything associated with Kim Il-sung. Even North Korea's annual marathon, originally introduced in 1981 to commemorate the April birthday of  Kim Il-sung, has undergone a name change this year. Previously called the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon — after Mangyongdae, a Pyongyang neighborhood promoted as Kim Il-sung's birthplace in state propaganda — it is now known as the Pyongyang International Marathon.

CAMBODIA IS FIRST TO CELEBRATE KIM IL-SUNG

With Kim Il-sung's birth anniversary approaching tomorrow, the North Korean embassy in Cambodia was among the first to hold commemorative events this year. This reflects Cambodia's enduring respect for the founder, stemming from his unique friendship with the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk. Forged during the Cold War over shared visions of national sovereignty amidst superpower rivalries, this bond was deeply personal. King Sihanouk, in his 2005 memoir, even described Kim as “my surest and most sincere friend... even more than a friend: a true brother and my only ‘true relative’ after the death of my mother.”

While this historical connection still shapes Cambodia's diplomatic gestures and its close ties with Pyongyang, these overseas commemorations increasingly spotlight the current leader, Kim Jong-un. The focus has clearly shifted from Kim Il-sung's era in recent years. For instance, this year's celebration in Cambodia drew senior government officials and representatives from both the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and the royalist Funcinpec party, according to the Khmer Times. They listened as the DPRK ambassador highlighted Kim Jong-un's dedication to developing a prosperous socialist state. By centering on the current leader’s achievements, such events subtly position Kim Il-sung's legacy more as a symbolic backdrop. This aligns with North Korea's broader narrative, which prioritizes Kim Jong-un's vision for modernization over dwelling solely on reverence for the nation's founder.

As North Korea continues to redefine its political agenda, the April Festival of 2025 underscores the evolving nature of these national celebrations that are interwoven with shifting power dynamics and strategic military maneuvers. As for those eager to travel to the isolated nation to partake in the festivities, they may well find themselves captivated by the elaborate staged performances throughout the holidays. Yet, their presence ultimately serves a deeper purpose – helping the regime reinforce to its citizens the narrative that even foreigners acknowledge and respect Kim Jong-un's leadership.

Cake: A Doorway to a North Korean Orphan's Heart

"Chun Joo" is one of the North Korean orphans in Crossing Borders' Second Wave group homes. It was Chun Joo's birthday when our team visited her orphanage. They went to an American restaurant with her, which served chicken sandwiches and French fries, the closest  to Western food our staff had eaten in over a week. Chun Joo received some small gifts and a paper crown on her head. When the candles on her gaudy cake were lit, she began to cry. Chun Joo could have been crying because she remembered the home she came from. The house she lived in prior to being brought into our Second Wave network was described by Crossing Borders’ missionaries as a “pig sty” with “no space to walk.”

It could have been because she remembered, in this moment, witnessing her father abusing her North Korean mother repeatedly until she "looked like a panda bear." She may have been crying in part because her mother left her behind to flee from her father. Following her mother's departure, Chun Joo's father began to abuse his daughter as well.

Worried for her, wanting to comfort her, our staff asked Chun Joo why she was upset. Chun Joo simply replied that it was because she was happy.

Crossing Borders' team spent a week with Chun Joo and North Korean orphans like her in Northeast China teaching them English and about the gospel. She was very shy at first but with much effort and the work of God, she opened up and began sharing with our teachers. She participated in the activities. She even prayed with our staff.

Our team knew Chun Joos' story going into the camp before they even met her. She had experienced a very harsh and difficult life as a North Korean orphan in China. Her report, however, read, “... she has totally transformed from when we first met her. Where she was shy and sad, she now always has a smile on her face.”

In a few years this fragile little girl has gone from being frightened, nervous and hesitant to being a joyful, gentle young woman. When our summer team played games with her she would always be the first to laugh at her own mistakes. She formed close bonds wit h our volunteers.

The only thing that our team knew for sure as she sat silently crying was what she told us: that she was happy.

We pray that our North Korean orphans' happiness would not be based solely on exterior circumstances but because Jesus loves them and wants to share his compassion for them.