Birthday Spread Arranged in Wartime

In the days of the Fatherland Liberation War Comrade Kim Il Sung dissuaded the DPRK Government from arranging a party for his birthday, spending the day as he had done on ordinary days.

It was the same case on April 15, Juche 40 (1951).

The Cabinet of the DPRK planned to arrange a party in celebration of his birthday. 

No one knew how Kim Il Sung had learned it, but he called an official of the Cabinet, and said that the birthday party should not be arranged, adding that we should not forget that our soldiers were fighting on the front, shedding blood. 

As a result, the party was cancelled.

Though he never allowed the officials to arrange a birthday party for him, he cared about his comrades’ birthdays.

One day, he called officers to the dining room at the Supreme Headquarters, saying that he wanted to have a meal with them. And looking at an officer affectionately, he said the officers:

Today is his birthday. He lost his parents when he was seven years old. He joined the Children’s Corps and then the Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Army. He might not have celebrated his birthday properly until now. Today’s spread would be simple but please take it as an expression of my sincerity. 

He kindly asked the officer to enjoy the foods. 

The story of his care for his comrades is still told.