Kimjongilia is a flower named after the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. It is a hybrid cultivar of tuberous begonia, registered as Begonia × tuberhybrida 'Kimjongilhwa'. When Kim Jong Il died in December 2011, the flower was used to adorn his body for public display."Succession in North Korea: Grief and fear", The Economist, December 31, 2011. Despite its name, the Kimjongilia is not the official national flower of North Korea, which is the Magnolia sieboldii. Another flower, Kimilsungia, is an orchid cultivar named after Kim Jong Il's father and predecessor, Kim Il Sung.
History To commemorate Kim Jong Il's 46th birthday in 1988, Japanese botanist Kamo Mototeru cultivated a new perennial begonia named "kimjongilia" (literally, "flower of Kim Jong Il"), representing the Juche revolutionary cause of the Dear Leader. It was presented as a "token of friendship between Korea and Japan". The flower symbolizes wisdom, love, justice and peace. It is designed to bloom every year on Kim Jong Il's birthday, February 16.
Bloom The flower has been cultivated to bloom around the Day of the Shining Star, Kim Jong Il's birthday, 16 February. According to the Korean Central News Agency, a preservation agent had been developed that would allow the flower to keep in bloom for longer periods of time."Agent for Preserving Kimjongilia Developed" , KCNA, October 21, 2008.
Song A song composed by several North Korean composers, also called "Kimjongilia", was written about the flower:Lanʹkov, 2007, p. 22.
See also Kimilsungia Kimjongilia (film)
References
Further reading
External links