The Marmot’s Hole

The North Korean masses remembered the passing of Comrade Kim Il-sung on the 10th anniversary of the Great Leader’s departure for the great Workers Paradise in the sky, braving the rain to pay tribute at Kim’s massive statue sitting atop Mansudae Hill. But make no mistake — the elder Kim is still the serving North Korean head of state, and as Ri Yang Su of the Tokyo-based and Pyongyang-funded Korean News Service told Radio Australia, the Great Leader is still very much with us:

RI YANG SU:In North Korea the slogan, President Kim Il Sung is always with us, which means the late President Kim Il Sung is always living in our hearts, all people are thinking so.

WERDEN: Ri Yang Su from the Pyong Yang funded Korean News Service based in Tokyo.

RI YANG SU: Korean Central News agency never say death of President Kim Il Sung, never say and demise and in “demise” demise of Kim Il Sung, in Japan we use death of Kim Il Sung its very common but in North Korea President Kim Il Sung is always with us, he is always with us his slogan spoken by Kim Jong-Il, ten years ago.

Kim Jong-il, good Korean son that he is, also paid his respects:

Pyongyang, July 8 (KCNA) — Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, accompanied by commanding officers of the KPA, visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace at 00:00 on Thursday. The palace was wrapped in an atmosphere of deep condolences on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the demise of president Kim Il Sung, father of socialist Korea and the nation.

Present were Jo Myong Rok, director of the General Political Department of the KPA, Kim Yong Chun, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, Kim Il Chol, minister of the People’s Armed Forces, Vice-Marshal of the KPA Ri Yong Mu, vice-chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, Marshal of the KPA Ri Ul Sol, Vice-Marshals of the KPA Paek Hak Rim, Kim Ik Hyon, Ri Jong San, Kim Ryong Yon, Jang Song U, Ri Ha Il, Pak Ki So and Jon Jae Son and operation commanding officers of the Supreme Command of the KPA, commanders of the arms and services of the KPA and general officers of the KPA.

Standing on both sides of the full-length statue of the President were flags of the WPK, the DPRK and the colors of the KPA and honor guards of the three services of the KPA. A floral basket was laid before the statue in the joint name of the Central Committee of the WPK, the Central Military Commission of the WPK and the National Defence Commission of the DPRK.

Written on the ribbon of the floral basket were letters “The Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung Is Immortal”.

Kim Jong Il together with the cadres accompanying him paid homage to the President.

It wasn’t a completely crappy day for Kim, however — he did get “a gift from the secretary general of the United Left Movement of Dominica.”

The Korea Herald has an analysis piece on the two dear leaders — fluffy, but read it if you’re bored.

And would someone please tell me what it is with commies embalming their dead leaders?

UPDATE: If you read Korean, and you got a barf bag somewhere nearby, read Seonggonghoe University professor Han Hong-gu’s sickening look at the “20th century-style nationalist, Kim Il-sung” in Hankyoreh 21. I might translate this later just for fun.