NORTH KOREA:Singing soldiers and flower shows marked the 65th birthday yesterday of the man dubbed North Korea's "invincible brilliant commander" by state media as regional powers wondered whether he would abide by a nuclear deal.
The communist world's first dynastic leader, Kim Jong-il, is the unchallenged head of the reclusive state whose economy has sunk deeper into poverty during his years in power.
North Korea agreed a deal earlier this week to shut down its sole nuclear reactor in exchange for energy aid and other economic and diplomatic incentives. However, there is a proviso that Kim must scrap his country's nuclear arms programme. "I find it difficult to believe that this is a strategic decision to dismantle its nukes. I see this as a tactical way of getting the heat off, getting concessions and keeping the Chinese happy," said Michael Breen, Seoul-based consultant and author of Kim Jong-il: North Korea's Dear Leader.
With nuclear weapons, impoverished North Korea gets a seat at the table with global powers including the US - the nation it argues is trying to topple it and causes it to sacrifice so much to maintain its armed forces at a strength of 1.2 million.
Kim's main priority is to stay in power and state media has credited him with forcing the US to make concessions through the nuclear agreement. He is seen as a deity at home, where thousands danced in the streets of Pyongyang to mark his birthday and the military hosted a gala, performing song and dance numbers to tunes such as My Happiness is in the Bosom of the Respected General.
Outside North Korea, Kim is seen as a man with a bouffant hairdo, drab jumpsuit and platform shoes who has done little to help his starving people and has let the country's industry stagnate. Like his father, he has constructed a cult of personality around him.
Long groomed by his father, Kim Il-sung, he gradually tightened his hold on power after the elder Kim died of a heart attack in 1994 in the midst of a previous crisis over North Korea's nuclear programme. The younger Kim declined to assume the title of president, instead designating his father "eternal president" and opting to rule as chairman of the national defence commission and head of the ruling party. North Korea's media has said that flowers come into bloom when he appears and rainbows fill the sky on his birthday.
He is, it is said, a man who pilots jet fighters - even though he travels by land for his infrequent trips abroad. He has also composed operas and produced movies and has accomplished a feat unmatched in the annals of professional golf - shooting 11 holes-in-one during the first round he ever played.
"Your birth as a bright star over Mount Paektu was the greatest event, as it promised the happiness and prosperity of the Korean nation," the official media said.