Military Foundation Day
Military Foundation Day(Korean: 조선인민군 창건일) is an annual public holiday in North Korea falling on 8 February. It was previously celebrated on 25 April.[1]
Background[]
North Korean historiography has two competing dates for the founding of the modern Korean People's Army (KPA): 25 April 1932 and 8 February 1948. According to North Korean historiography, the Korean People's Revolutionary Army (KPRA) – the predecessor of KPA – was founded on 25 April 1932.[2] That KPRA was name for Korean units of Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and the regular KPA was not established until 1948. The 25 April date had, however, been celebrated in one way or the other since 1962. Initially it was celebrated as the founding of "anti-Japanese guerrilla units" in general, and later as the founding of the KPRA, in particular.[1] It became an official holiday in 1996.[3] The 25 April occasion was officially commemorated from the 1978 until 2014.[4][2]
History[]
On 21 April 1992, four days before the 25 April Military Foundation Day, Kim Jong-il was given the title of wonsu (marshal) in the army. There was a huge parade on the Military Foundation Day that year. At the parade, announced to the public: "Bring glory to the heroic people's military".[5] This was the first and only recording of him speaking publicly.[6] Since 23 April 1996, Military Foundation Day has been an official holiday.
Celebrations[]
Celebrations of the Military Foundation Day are extensive. The country holds a commemorative assembly in the capital as well as various commemorative events, demonstrations, concerts and a military parade. Servicemen of the armed forces and civilians alike are permitted to take off from work to celebrate the holiday and the service of the KPA in the defense of the nation.[7]
Military parade of the Korean People's Army and the Worker-Peasant Red Guards[]
The semiannual parade, which was a feature of the day since the first parade of 1948, is a key highlight of the national celebrations in Pyongyang. Since 1958, parades have been held on the city's Kim Il-sung Square in honor of the holiday every 5 years, following Chinese practice. The first parade was in 1948 at Pyongyang Station which included the attendance of Soviet generals and the participation of about 20,000 North Korean soldiers. In 1992, the diamond jubilee parade was held.[8]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b Tertitskiy, Fyodor (7 February 2018). "The unusual history of North Korea's military foundation day". NK News. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ a b Berlinger, Joshua (7 February 2018). "North Korea sends clear message with missile parade on eve of Olympics". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ Lim 2008, p. 152.
- ^ Lim 2008, p. 182n29.
- ^ Lim 2008, p. 99.
- ^ Hu, Elsie (6 May 2016). "This Weekend, Kim Jong Un Will Be Heard, Unlike His More Elusive Father". NPR.org. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ^ Merkel 2016, p. 107.
- ^ "North Korean military parades: 70 years of propaganda, intimidation and unity - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. 8 September 2018.
Works cited[]
- Jae-Cheon Lim (2008). Kim Jong-il's Leadership of North Korea. Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-01712-6.
- Merkel, Udo (2016). "The Politics of Sport and Identity in North Korea". In Fan Hong; Zhouxiang Lu (eds.). Sport and Nationalism in Asia: Power, Politics and Identity. Oxon: Routledge. pp. 104–118. ISBN 978-1-317-57401-9.
External links[]
- Military Foundation Day at Naenara
- "A National Holiday for the Korean People's Army?"
- "8 February Army Day to be Commemorated"
- "Raw: North Korea Celebrates Army's Anniversary"
- Anniversaries
- Annual events in North Korea
- February observances
- Public holidays in North Korea
- Winter events in North Korea