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| ▲ This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 1, 2025, shows the North holding a youth's nighttime outdoor celebration at Kim Il Sung Square on Dec. 31, 2024 to usher in the new year. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
N Korea-new year celebrations
N. Korea set to mark New Year with outdoor celebrations, firework display
SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is set to hold a nighttime outdoor celebration and launch fireworks Wednesday to usher in the new year, according to the North's state media.
At 11 p.m., youths and students will gather at Kim Il Sung Square to hold a nighttime outdoor celebration, with a ceremony to hoist the national flag and firework displays also planned, according to the Korean Central Broadcasting Station.
In recent years, North Korea has held such events at the square on the eve of Jan. 1.
North Korea may hold a separate art performance celebrating the new year, attended by its leader Kim Jong-un. On the last day of 2024, Kim attended a large-scale art performance held at the May Day Stadium with his daughter Ju-ae.
North Korea appears to have held large-scale New Year celebrations in a bid to arouse the people's pride in the nation and strengthen internal solidarity.
The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, carried a report on Kim's inspections for this year on the front page of Wednesday's edition, highlighting his attendance at the opening ceremonies for regional factories and the overseeing of major weapons tests.
The daily stressed Kim's efforts to strengthen the national defense power, noting the leader has committed to bolstering military capabilities "without delay and speedily."
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