Nearly two decades after Kim Il-sung's death, the North Korean founder's birthday remains a huge national holiday. For Kim's 99th birthday last week, thousands thronged the normally dreary capital, which was decked with flowers. Crowds bowed before this statue of the man constitutionally enshrined as the "eternal president." The cult of personality Kim created still defines the communist nation. Kim's eccentric son, Kim Jong-il-the "Dear Leader"-is now paving the way for his own heir, Kim Jong-un. The future leader is rarely seen in public; even his exact age remains unknown.
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