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Earth, Sky Celebrate Kim Jong-Il's B-day

Leader's upcoming birthday has improved weather: state agency

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 13, 2009 12:50 PM CST

(Newser) – Temperatures in North Korea are warmer than normal, willow catkins are in bloom, and the moon is sporting a halo—all thanks to Kim Jong-Il. A Korean news agency says “that even the nature and the sky unfolded such mysterious ecstasy in celebration of the birthday” of the North Korean leader, who turns 67 next week, the Telegraph reports.

A state-sanctioned personality cult surrounds Kim, whose official biography is shrouded in myths that claim rainbows sprouted overhead during his birth and that he made 11 holes in one in a single round of golf. Meanwhile, a US official says Kim, who reportedly suffered a stroke last year, has recently been “making key decisions,” signaling that “his health has improved significantly.”

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In this undated photo released on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, center, visits Wonsan Shoes Factory in Wonsan city, North... (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service)

In this undated photo released on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009 by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, center, inspects a military unit in North Korea. Kim Yong... (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's birthday will be marked with rallies, gala events and flower shows featuring the national bloom, Kimjongilia. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, Alexander Zemlianichenko, FILE)

Willow catkins are blooming earlier than in previous years in North Korea because of Kim Jong-il's birthday, a news agency said. (Shutter Stock)

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Those who witnessed the opening of willow catkins earlier than the previous years said excitedly that even the nature and the sky unfolded such mysterious ecstasy in celebration of the birthday of leader Kim Jong-Il - Korean Central News Agency

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Earth, Sky Celebrate Kim Jong-Il's B-day