North Korea is set to enjoy an extended Lunar New Year holiday this year, spanning three consecutive days as the traditional celebration immediately follows the national holiday commemorating the birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il.
The Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday, typically observed as a one-day holiday in the North, which is shorter than the three-day break enjoyed in South Korea. However, this year's timing aligns perfectly with Kim Jong-il's birthday on Monday, following Sunday, creating a rare three-day respite for North Koreans.
North Koreans generally mark the new year according to the Western calendar, in contrast to their southern counterparts who celebrate the Lunar New Year with greater extravagance. The extended holiday this year provides an unusual opportunity for observance of the traditional date.
In Pyongyang, citizens have been seen visiting the statues of late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-il, as captured in a photograph published by the Korean Central News Agency on February 11, 2024, and distributed by Yonhap.
The socialist regime in North Korea initially renounced traditional Korean holidays like Lunar New Year as feudal vestiges before reinstating them in 1989 under the Kim Jong-il administration, which also restored Chuseok.
