North Korea to hold major festivals for anniversary of late founder's birth

An evening gala of young people and students takes place with fireworks to celebrate the Day of the Sun, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, April 15, 2021. AP-Yonhap

North Korea plans to hold various large-scale celebratory events, both online and offline, on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of its late founding leader's birth next month, according to its state media, Thursday.

The North will hold a major spring festival in Pyongyang with magic shows and performances by art troupes around mid-April to commemorate Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un, April 15, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"(The festival) will inspire us on our powerful march and help make this meaningful year a revolutionary year of celebrations," the North's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, also said.

Pyongyang will stage another major international art festival online this year amid COVID-19 concerns. The April Spring Friendship Art Festival, which started in 1982, is a biennial event that invites art troupes from other countries to celebrate the late founder's birthday.

The anniversary, referred to in the North as the Day of the Sun, is one of the country's biggest national holidays. The North tends to mark every fifth and 10th anniversary with large-scale events, including military parades.

The North also appears to be planning major cultural events this year in an apparent effort to strengthen internal unity amid growing economic pressure from the fallout of global sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, the North canceled almost all major celebrations for the birth anniversary amid the pandemic. (Yonhap)