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CNN Sunday Morning
North Korea Marks Kim Jong Il's 61st Birthday
Aired February 16, 2003 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's focus our attention now on North Korea. The State Department continues to make the case that North Korea's nuclear weapons program is not just a U.S. problem. This as you see pictures of Kim Jong Il's birthday extravaganza.
Spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg (ph) of the State Department says resolving the crisis will take effort by U.S. friends and allies. Earlier this week, the secretary of state, Colin Powell, told members of Congress the North Korean nuclear program is threatening Russia, China and South Korea. As we continue to watch the extravaganza from Kim Jong Il.
North Koreans today do mark the 61st birthday of their leader for life, Kim Jong Il, as you saw in the celebrations. And during those occasions the state-run newspaper ran Kim's birthday message to his people. He said: "All servicemen of the army should always be on the alert. All party members and workers must burn with hatred and hostility in their hearts towards the U.S. imperialists."
Even though his birthday is a national holiday, it may not be the North Korean leader's happiest times.
CNN's Mike Chinoy files this report from North Korea via videophone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT (on camera): North Korea's official media has been blasting forth praise of Kim Jong Il as the country's leader marks his 61st birthday. Here at Mount Koomdong (ph), just a few kilometers on the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone, state-run radio has been full of praise. Reports about Kim Jong Il visiting military units, where the soldiers, the radio said, were so moved by his arrival that they burst into tears.
The military is clearly Kim Jong Il's main base of support at the moment, and North Korean propaganda has featured visits to military units very prominently in the run-up to his birthday as tensions with the United States have increased over the nuclear issue.
The North Koreans still however say that they want to negotiate with the U.S., although the emphasis on Kim Jong Il going to see the military is underscoring the fact that they are prepared for a conflict if it comes to that.
One of the big questions on Kim Jong Il's birthday is just how secure the North Korean leader is. The country's economy is in terrible shape. It's evident just from what we've been able to see in a couple of days here, villages with minimal electricity, unpaved roads, the people are looking warn and haggard, and the contrast with the vibrant south very, very striking.
Nonetheless, everyone that we have talked to here has declared their loyalty to Kim Jong Il, and there is no suggestion that the poverty in North Korea is leading to a political threat. Indeed, as he marks his birthday, by all accounts Kim Jong Il remains as firmly in control as ever.
Mike Chinoy, CNN, Mount Koomdong (ph), North Korea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 16, 2003 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's focus our attention now on North Korea. The State Department continues to make the case that North Korea's nuclear weapons program is not just a U.S. problem. This as you see pictures of Kim Jong Il's birthday extravaganza.
Spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg (ph) of the State Department says resolving the crisis will take effort by U.S. friends and allies. Earlier this week, the secretary of state, Colin Powell, told members of Congress the North Korean nuclear program is threatening Russia, China and South Korea. As we continue to watch the extravaganza from Kim Jong Il.
North Koreans today do mark the 61st birthday of their leader for life, Kim Jong Il, as you saw in the celebrations. And during those occasions the state-run newspaper ran Kim's birthday message to his people. He said: "All servicemen of the army should always be on the alert. All party members and workers must burn with hatred and hostility in their hearts towards the U.S. imperialists."
Even though his birthday is a national holiday, it may not be the North Korean leader's happiest times.
CNN's Mike Chinoy files this report from North Korea via videophone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT (on camera): North Korea's official media has been blasting forth praise of Kim Jong Il as the country's leader marks his 61st birthday. Here at Mount Koomdong (ph), just a few kilometers on the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone, state-run radio has been full of praise. Reports about Kim Jong Il visiting military units, where the soldiers, the radio said, were so moved by his arrival that they burst into tears.
The military is clearly Kim Jong Il's main base of support at the moment, and North Korean propaganda has featured visits to military units very prominently in the run-up to his birthday as tensions with the United States have increased over the nuclear issue.
The North Koreans still however say that they want to negotiate with the U.S., although the emphasis on Kim Jong Il going to see the military is underscoring the fact that they are prepared for a conflict if it comes to that.
One of the big questions on Kim Jong Il's birthday is just how secure the North Korean leader is. The country's economy is in terrible shape. It's evident just from what we've been able to see in a couple of days here, villages with minimal electricity, unpaved roads, the people are looking warn and haggard, and the contrast with the vibrant south very, very striking.
Nonetheless, everyone that we have talked to here has declared their loyalty to Kim Jong Il, and there is no suggestion that the poverty in North Korea is leading to a political threat. Indeed, as he marks his birthday, by all accounts Kim Jong Il remains as firmly in control as ever.
Mike Chinoy, CNN, Mount Koomdong (ph), North Korea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
