Though the young leader\u2019s birthday is well-known throughout the country, it has yet to be celebrated with the kind of adulatory festivities that accompany the birthdays of his late grandfather and father. Pyongyang residents did what they do every second Sunday of the new year — joined in sports events.
Kim Jong Un, who is believed to be 33 or 34 and the world\u2019s youngest head of state, assumed power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in late 2011.
With the official period of mourning his father\u2019s death over and his own powerbase apparently solid, Kim presided over a once-in-a-generation party congress last May that was seen by many as something of a coronation and the beginning of the Kim Jong Un era.
North Korea’s capital city has maintained a veneer of strength amid international opposition and economic sanctions over its nuclear program. CBS…
But he has continued to keep a step or two behind his predecessors in the country\u2019s intense cult of personality. Kim\u2019s grandfather, \u201ceternal president\u201d Kim Il Sung, and Kim Jong Il statues and portraits are found in virtually every public space or home. Their pins are worn over the hearts of every adult man and woman.
Rumors were rife that a new pin featuring Kim Jong Un would be issued during the May party congress , but they proved to be unfounded. Calendars for this year don\u2019t denote Jan. 8 as anything other than a normal Sunday, and there was no mention of the birthday in Rodong Sinmun, the ruling party newspaper.
The only time Kim has been honored in public on his birthday was in 2014, when former NBA star Dennis Rodman sang \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d to him before an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang.
North Korean officials say the low-key approach — and the very little information made public about his wife and family — reflects Kim\u2019s \u201chumble\u201d nature and respect for his forbearers. Kim seemed to amplify that image in his annual New Year\u2019s address, when he closed with remarks about his desire to be a better leader.
Even so, 2017 could turn out to be a bigger than normal year in North Korea for Kim-related events.
State media have suggested Kim Jong Il\u2019s birthday in February and especially Kim Il Sung\u2019s birthday in April will be celebrated in a more lavish than usual manner, though exactly what\u2019s in store is not known. And Kim Jong Un has already had something of a big New Year\u2019s event — days after his address, tens of thousands of North Koreans rallied in Pyongyang in the customary show of support for their leader.
This picture taken on January 5, 2017, and released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on January 6, 2017 shows a mass rally taking place at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang.<\/p>\n

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