Prior to the closure of North Korea due to Covid-19, the birthday of Kim Jong Il was one of the most important holidays for tourists to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Alas, this all changed when the country closed due to the pandemic over 5 years ago. This year, though, through some major pushing and, dare we say, a little luck, we were able to attend the festivities in 2025. And it was amazing, surreal, but amazing.
A History of the Birthday of Kim Jong Il
In North Korea, the birthdays of both Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong Il were long celebrated as major state holidays, known respectively as the Day of the Sun and the Day of the Shining Star. However, in a significant shift, the term Day of the Shining Star for Kim Jong Il’s birthday, observed every February 16, was phased out in 2024. For years, the Day of the Shining Star was a major event in the country’s calendar, honoring Kim Jong Il with grand ceremonies, performances, and displays of national pride. But by 2024, the holiday took on a name change, becoming simply 2.16 or Birthday of Kim Jong Il. This was part of a broader move by the regime to recalibrate how it honors the Kim family’s leadership.
While the official title has now been removed, the February 16th holiday remains a major occasion in North Korea. It’s still a day when the nation pauses to remember Kim Jong Il’s contributions and celebrate an important national holiday.
Preparing for the Birthday of Kim Jong Il
Generally speaking, the birthday of Kim Jong Il is celebrated largely the same throughout the country. This means it is a national holiday and a day for the masses to gather. During the morning, DPRK and Workers’ Party of Korea flags are out everywhere, along with revolutionary quotes.
These quotes are mostly from the Generalissimo himself, with the date 2.16 prominently displayed on the banners. People also practice and prepare for the later celebrations of the day.
Visiting the Monuments
For our group, we decided to dress smartly and visit the grand bronze statues of both President Kim Il-sung and Generalissimo Kim Jong Il. These statues were built in 2015 and are of the standard seen throughout the country.
The customary thing to do here is to buy a bouquet of flowers and present them, which YPT, of course, did. And we were certainly not the only ones, with kids, adults, locals, and foreigners alike taking part.
Partying in Rajin Square
Rajin Square is the focal point for both Rajin City and Rason (Rason Special Economic Zone: The “Other” North Korea – DPRK Guide 2025), so during holidays, many things happen here. In 2025, this included people selling raffle tickets (I did not win), fun games, and even horse riding.
Rajin Square is also home to the best street food, with vendors, small restaurants, and fruit sellers busier than usual. This was also the place to be for perhaps the biggest event of the day, the mass dancing.
Watching the Mass Dancing in Rason 2025
Mass dancing in North Korea is something that truly has to be seen to be believed, but can be summed up as follows! The masses come out en masse to dance together to revolutionary tunes. Said dancing happens on almost all DPRK holidays, with participation from foreigners in Pyongyang being almost expected.
During Kim Jong Il’s birthday in Rason in 2025, the mass dancing was up to the standards of Pyongyang and other parts of the country. The locals started around 4 p.m. and continued until it was almost dark. At this point, we returned to the Namsan Hotel for talks with our partners at the Rason International Travel Agency – RITA, before a walk in the park and some well-earned end-of-night Soju in our hotel.
Overall, it was fantastic to take part in a mass dance again—great, but somewhat surreal. And while we don’t know where the best place will be to celebrate President Kim Il-sung’s birthday this April, or next year’s Kim Jong Il’s birthday, we do at least know YPT will be there.
Click the links for our Rason Tours, as well as overall North Korea Tours.
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