Kim's speech steals the show

REPORTER'S LOG  Wu Jiao

Pyongyang marked the centenary birthday of founder Kim Il-sung on Sunday with a massive parade and glorious riverside firework display.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has a huge celebration every year on April 15. But this year's events were the biggest ever, not only to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung but also to boost the profile of leader Kim Jong-un, who stepped into power after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, in December.

A soldier salutes from a vehicle during a parade to mark the centenary of the birth of founding leader Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang on Sunday. [Wang Jing / China Daily]

Much of the anticipation for Sunday's events had focused on the DPRK's latest missile equipment, which the military planned to showcase during the parade. Yet the highlight came before the parade began, when leader Kim Jong-un addressed the public for the first time. His speech was broadcast live across the country.

Kim delivered the speech from a building overlooking tens of thousands of soldiers and ordinary citizens on the square, with huge portraits of his father and grandfather posted on the building. The young leader seemed at ease, chatting and smiling with officials standing next to him.

He read the written speech in a youthful voice for about 20 minutes. It came as a surprise, as his late father is believed to have made only one public speech during his decades-long rule of the DPRK.

Many of the government staff accompanying foreign reporters seemed astonished when they heard that Kim Jong-un was going to make a speech. They listened closely to his words and appeared deeply moved.

Many people interviewed by China Daily said they were inspired by the speech. One government official said Kim Jong-un gave a public speech because he wanted to encourage the people.

"It shows that our leader has the confidence in leading our people to make progress in the future," the official said.

The parade was the largest ever in the DPRK, yet military experts said most of the equipment on display was outdated except a new weapon that appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, according to media reports.

Sunday's parade reportedly attracted a record 200,000 people. We believe that people took off work to attend the public celebrations that have taken place over the last several days.

Our guide from the foreign ministry agreed. "Our integrity, that is why our enemies are afraid of us," said the guide.

A massive firework display lasting 40 minutes followed the parade, and many foreigners were amazed by the show.

Before the fireworks began, more than 100 foreign reporters were given access to the huge crowd that had gathered to watch.

The sight of so many foreign reporters made many of the locals excited, and they began singing and dancing in front of the cameras. It was really a day of joy for the people of Pyongyang.

Now that the celebrations have ended, our coverage here is finished. Most of us have scheduled to leave within the next two days. But our focus on this country will certainly last much longer.