A great halo observed near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang left admirers reveling in the marvelous sight that occurred a day before a major anniversary, official media reported yesterday.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Saturday's mysterious phenomenon of nature occurred a day before the anniversary of leader Kim Jong-il's assumption of the top military post and underlined the strong cult of personality that exists in North Korea.
"The day was rather cloudy with soft hail falling. At about 9[am], there appeared an unprecedentedly great halo in the sky to the side of Pyongyang to the admiration of the watching people," KCNA said.
"The big ring around the sun stayed for 30 minutes, throwing bright rays of seven colors and, when it disappeared, the hail stopped and not a speck of cloud was seen," it said.
Kim, the only son of the country's founding president Kim Il-sung who died in 1994, marked the 15th anniversary of his assumption of the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army on Sunday.
Kim is revered as a near demigod in North Korea and the "Sun of the 21st Century" is one of a number of honorifics that the communist regime's propaganda scribes have invented for him.
The North's state media often carry reports on halos on major anniversaries of Kim and his family.
In addition to the post, Kim also holds several other top positions, such as the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and the defense committee chairman.
His father has been declared the eternal president of the comunist country.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese