N.K. state media make no mention of leader Kim's presumed birthday

SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korean state media made no mention of its leader Kim Jong-un's presumed 37th birthday on Friday amid its detailed report on an ongoing rare party congress.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling party, carried articles on the eighth party congress of the ruling Workers' Party, the country's biggest political event, but did not mention his birthday.

The North's state Korean Central Television (KCTV) also kicked off its program at 9 a.m. Friday, hours ahead of its regular start of broadcasting, and reported on the third-day session of the congress held the previous day without mentioning Kim's birthday.

Kim is known to have been born on Jan. 8, 1984, though the North has not officially confirmed the date.

The date also continued to be marked as an ordinary working day in this year's calendar, contrasting with the birthdays of Kim's late grandfather and father, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, which are celebrated as national holidays.

Kim Jong-il saw his birthday designated as a national holiday in 1982 when he was 40, two years after he was anointed as successor to his father and national founder Kim Il-sung.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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