NK leader ordered launch in late father’s memory

North Korean military and Workers’ Party members attend a memorial service at Pyongyang Sports Center in Pyongyang, Sunday, on the first anniversary of the late ruler Kim Jung-il’s death. Yonhap

NK celebrates 1st anniv. of former leader’s death

The timing of North Korea’s successful rocket launch last week is widely seen as a move to commemorate the first anniversary of its late former leader Kim Jong-il’s death, which falls today.

The Unha-3 rocket was launched from a space center in the north west of the country and placed a satellite in orbit, currently travelling at 7.6 kilometers per second.

Putting a satellite into orbit was one of the late Kim’s goals.

Marcus Norland, an expert on the North, said the successful launch also indicates stability in the regime.

“This is a tremendous victory. They were embarrassed by the failure of the missile in April. And they were forced to admit to their own people that they had failed. Obviously, they’re triumphing this as a great success.”

The rocket launched in April exploded two minutes after liftoff.

Visiting the launch site on Friday, the young leader acclaimed scientists involved. “The launch was a successful demonstration of our power,” he was quoted as saying by the state TV.

The launch seems to have removed speculation that the new regime under the young and untested leader was faltering.

After his father’s death, many anticipated that Jong-un was too weak to survive for long, and the regime would fall into chaos. Among the few who argued against the widely-held anticipation was Chung Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute, who said Jong-un was doing well by making himself look “more friendly to the public, open to the West and more willing to improve the lives of ordinary citizens in education, the economy and welfare.” And that eventually contributed to “making the power shift smooth.”

After the rocket launch, the mood inside North Korea appeared to be one of exhilaration.
Yonhap news repo
rted that the North’s central TV replaced Kim Jong-il-related content with news about the rocket. It even broadcast the liftoff to the general public. Four pages out of the six-paged Rodong Sinmun on Dec. 14 were allocated to articles and photos of the launch, and praising the young leader.

On Sunday in Pyongyang, Jong-un together with high-profile officials attended a commemoration event for his father. Dangdong, a Chinese city bordering the North’s Shinuiju, was busy over the weekend with North Koreans travelling home for the anniversary. North Korea’s foreign missions abroad are expected to welcome guests offering their condolences from today. <The Korea Times/Kim Se-jeong>