Skip linksSkip to Content
play
Live
Navigation menu
  • News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • Explained
  • Opinion
  • Sport
  • Video
    • Features
    • Economy
    • Human Rights
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Podcasts
    • Travel
play
Live

In Pictures

Gallery|Kim Jong Un

‘Kimjongilia’ display celebrates late N Korea leader

North Korea opens lavish exhibition to celebrate the 74th anniversary of late leader’s Kim Jong Il’s birth.

Save

Share

facebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylink
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
North Korean soldiers take photos of a portrait of their late leader Kim Jong Il at a flower festival with a model of North Korea''s newest satellite Kwangmyongsong 4, left, on display as part of the celebrations. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Published On 16 Feb 201616 Feb 2016

North Korea has opened an exhibition of Kimjongilia – a flower named after the country’s late leader Kim Jong Il –  at Pyongyang’s Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall to celebrate the 74th anniversary of Kim’s birth.

More than 30,000 Kimjongilia begonias were display at the exhibition on Tuesday to commemorate Kim Jong Il’s birthday, known as the “Day of the Shining Star”.

The celebration of Kim’s birthday is a revered national holiday. 

The late leader died of an apparent heart attack in December 2011 after ruling North Korea for 17 years.

Respects were also paid to Kim Il-Sung, the country’s previous leader of 46 years, who died in 1994 and after whom the exhibition hall is partly named.

 

 

Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
Portraits of the late leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il, right, are displayed over words that read: 'The Great Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il will always be with us.' [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Advertisement
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
North Korean men and women participate in a mass dance party as part of the birthday celebrations. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
North Koreans bow in front of bronze statues of late leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il, right, as part of the celebrations. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
North Korean soldiers gather at Munsu Hill to offer flowers as part of celebrations a day before the birthday anniversary. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
North Korea marks the late leader Kim Jong Il''s 74th birthday anniversary. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
The celebrations of Kim''s birthday anniversary, a revered national holiday, came as South Korea’s president warned that North Korea faces collapse if it doesn’t abandon its nuclear weapons programme. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Advertisement
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
The late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died of an apparent heart attack in December 2011 after ruling North Korea for 17 years. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
North Koreans gather at Munsu Hill to bow in front of bronze statues of late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il as part of celebrations of the birthday anniversary of Kim Jong Il. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
Kim Jong Il's birthday has been labelled the 'Day of the Shining Star'. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
North Korean soldiers gather at Munsu Hill to offer flowers. [Wong Maye-E/AP]
Kim Jong-Il Birthday Celebrations
Thousands of Pyongyang residents attended Monday’s opening of an elaborate flower exhibit featuring a bright-red begonia named “Kimjongilia” as well as the Kwangmyongsong rocket model. [Wong Maye-E/AP]

Related

  • Photos: North Korea opens museum for troops killed fighting for Russia

    Russia and North Korea deepen ties with plans for military cooperation and a symbolic memorial museum in Pyongyang.

    Published On 27 Apr 202627 Apr 2026
    North Korea opens museum for troops killed fighting for Russia
    This gallery article has 9 imagescamera9
  • North Korea launches ballistic missiles towards sea off its east coast

    Multiple ballistic missiles fired from eastern Sinpo area in seventh such test this year.

    Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
    A missile is launched, as North Korea conducted a test firing of a tactical ballistic missile
  • North Korea keeping Iran at arm’s length, reports Seoul

    South Korea says Pyongyang is wary as it seeks to renew diplomatic dialogue with the US.

    Published On 6 Apr 20266 Apr 2026
    A TV screen shows a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on February 26, 2026.
  • From: NewsFeed

    Kim Jong Un gifted gun after Belarus friendship treaty

    Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a gun.

    Published On 26 Mar 202626 Mar 2026
    This frame grab, taken from video from Belarusian state-owned news outlet Pul Pervogo, shows Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko watching as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holds a rifle gifted to him by Lukashenko in Pyongyang. [Pul Pervogo/AFP]
    Video Duration 00 minutes 56 seconds play-arrow00:56

More from Gallery

  • Photos: Somalia hunger crisis worsens as drought displaces more than 500,000

    Hawa Moalim, 33, fled Wajid in the Bakool region after the drought destroyed her livelihood. She began the journey to Baidoa with her six children and the few goats that had survived, determined to give her family a chance. One by one, the animals died on the road. By the time the family arrived at Wayamo displacement camp two weeks ago, they had nothing left. "We arrived here hoping for help," she says. "But since we came, we have received nothing. There is no food, no water, and no proper shelter." Wayamo displacement camp, Baidoa, Southwest State, Somalia. [Abdulkadir Mohamed/NRC]
    This gallery article has 14 imagescamera14
  • Photos: North Korea opens museum for troops killed fighting for Russia

    North Korea opens museum for troops killed fighting for Russia
    This gallery article has 9 imagescamera9
  • Photos: Bomb attack on Colombia highway kills 19 ahead of election

    Bomb attack on Colombia highway kills 19 ahead of election
    This gallery article has 9 imagescamera9
  • Photos: Chornobyl’s ‘liquidators’ return 40 years after nuclear disaster

    Survivors return to Chernobyl, 40 years after devastating explosion
    This gallery article has 15 imagescamera15

Most popular

  • US reviews Iran peace plan as dozens of nations call for Hormuz to reopen

    Smoke rises following explosions in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, April 27, 2026.
  • Iran offers Hormuz deal without nuclear talks, as it seeks broader buy-in

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meets Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir
  • Top US officials review Iran’s proposal to end war and open Hormuz Strait

    Iran War
  • Mexico’s Jalisco drug cartel commander ‘El Jardinero’ found hiding in ditch

    Members of Mexican Special Forces escort Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero” a top commander of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in the western state of Nayarit, Mexico, in this handout distributed on April 27, 2026. Secretaria de Marina (SEMAR)/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

  • About

    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Sitemap
    • Work for us
  • Connect

    • Contact Us
    • User Accounts Help
    • Advertise with us
    • Stay Connected
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Paid Partner Content
  • Our Channels

    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
  • Our Network

    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network