A recent report revealed that the supreme leader of North Korea sent some of his gardeners to a labour camp. The reason? Quite simply the flowers they were in charge of failed to bloom in time for the anniversary of his late fathers birthday.
The flowers are known as ‘Kimjongilias’ or the ‘immortal flower’. It was expected that they would make up a centrepiece for the Day of the Shining Star, which was on February 16.
Originally, the Japanese botanist Mototeru Kamo created the flowers for Kim-Jong un’s birthday and they have since been used as a central part of the Day of the Shining Star celebrations that honour the country’s former leader.
A gardener who goes by the name of Hans is said to have been in charge of the greenhouse where the flowers were growing. His main responsibility was to ensure they would be ready in time for both the Day of the Shining Star and the Day of the Sun. The second national celebration commemorates the birthday of North Korea’s founder Kim II-sung.
As a result of insufficient supplies of firewood, the greenhouse was not kept humid enough meaning that the flowers did not bloom in time. It has been alleged that his punishment is a six-month stint in a labour camp. Poor guy.
Talking to Daily NK News a source said: ‘Economic activity greatly decreased due to the strengthening of the country’s emergency disease-control measures, which led many Kimilsungia-Kimjongilia greenhouses to become neglected.
‘But now they’re suddenly saying that the Kimjongilia flowers have to be grown in time for the event, so how is Han supposed to grow them?’
The source claimed that other employees have also been punished. One named Choi is said to have been in charge of overseeing the boilers and was allegedly also sentenced to time in the camp but only half the time imposed on Hans.
The flowers were reportedly kept under close surveillance and ‘a flower grower surnamed Kim was called in every day to the county party committee to report on the state of the flowers and to write self-criticism reports’.
In previous years the flowers had to be imported from China when they didn’t grow in time. Surely that’s a more humane response as after all the gardeners only have so much control.
