Kim Jong Un’s birthday no holiday in N. Korea

Birthday wishes may be in order for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he purportedly turns 34 on Monday. But his reclusive nation has no plans to celebrate the date with a public holiday.

As the BBC points out, new annual calendars recently published in the North make no mention of Kim, whose birthday is widely believed to be Jan. 8, though his government has never confirmed that.

The birthday of his father and previous “Supreme Leader,” Kim Jong Il, is celebrated Feb. 16 each year with a national holiday called the “Day of the Shining Star.” And the birthday of his grandfather and North Korean state founder Kim Il Sung on April15 is hailed as the “Day of the Sun.” Both of these holidays were established when the leaders were alive.

Like many aspects about the secretive nation, it is not known why North Korea does not celebrate Kim’s birthday.

An unnamed source in South Pyongan Province told Daily NK that Kim’s birthday was not included in the 2018 calendar, produced and published by North Korea’s Foreign Languages Publishing House, because perception of the leader at this time is not positive.

The source told Daily NK, an online newspaper based in South Korea that focuses on the North, that international sanctions imposed in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests have caused hardships for workers who fear the loss of their jobs, and public opinion of Kim has dropped to a new low.

Kim Jong Un