North Korea is set to commemorate the 84th birthday of Kim Jong Il, the late Chairman of the National Defense Commission, with the 2·16 People’s Arts Festival in Pyongyang and across the nation. Notably, the announcement of the event omits the term Day of the Shining Star, which has traditionally been used to refer to Kim Jong Il’s birthday.
The Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on January 31 that the 3rd 2·16 People’s Arts Festival will be held in the capital, Pyongyang, and various locations throughout the country.
The newspaper described the festival as a political and artistic celebration marking Comrade Kim Jong Il’s 84th birth anniversary. It aims to honor the revolutionary life and achievements of the Father General who dedicated his entire life to the homeland and its people. The event is portrayed as a demonstration of the nation’s resolve to usher in a new era of socialist prosperity under the leadership of the Party Central Committee.
The festival is scheduled from February 13 to 18, featuring mobile art propaganda teams and artistic groups. Performances will take place in theaters and cultural centers across Pyongyang and other regions, including the East Pyongyang Grand Theater and the Hamhung Grand Theater.
According to the newspaper, the festival will showcase hymns praising the leader and contemporary songs reflecting the sentiments of the entire population. Outstanding artistic groups from various regions will participate. The event is expected to boost the people’s confidence and revolutionary fervor as they rally around Comrade Kim Jong Un to accelerate the nation’s comprehensive revival and development.
North Korea initiated the People’s Arts Festival in 2022 to mark Kim Jong Il’s 80th birthday and has continued to hold the event biennially since then.
Interestingly, the newspaper refrained from using the term Day of the Shining Star to refer to Kim Jong Il’s birthday. This contrasts with previous announcements in 2022 and 2024, which explicitly mentioned the ‘1st and 2nd Day of the Shining Star People’s Arts Festival. Instead, this year’s event is simply referred to as the 2·16 Celebration.
While North Korea didn’t completely abandon the term Day of the Shining Star last year, it generally opted for the more neutral expression February Holiday. Similarly, since 2024, they have avoided using Day of the Sun for Kim Il Sung’s birthday, preferring neutral terms like April Holiday or 4·15. This trend of avoiding honorific titles for the former leaders’ birthdays seems to be consistent.
It remains to be seen how frequently North Korea will use the term Day of the Shining Star for Kim Jong Il’s birthday this year. The restraint in using such honorific terms for previous leaders has been interpreted as an effort to moderate their cult of personality while bolstering the independent idolization of Kim Jong Un, the current General Secretary of the Workers’ Party.
Kim Jong Il was born on February 16, 1942, and passed away in 2011.
