Thousands of North Korean devotees laid flowers before statues of the country’s founder Kim Il Sung on Sunday on the anniversary of his birth. “The great comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il will always be with us,” read a banner made of greenery. Female Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers arrive to pay their respects before the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, at Mansu hill in Pyongyang April 15, 2018. The Day of the Sun has been described as “Like Christmas, but for Juche instead of Jesus”, in reference to Kim Il Sung’s “self-reliance” ideology. Guides at Mangyongdae outside Pyongyang, where Kim Il Sung was born 106 years ago, sometimes use religious terminology themselves, describing a well at the site as containing “holy water” and calling the day his “birthdaymas”.

Source: Hindustan Times April 15, 2018 10:52 UTC