Guess who got a six metre bronze face lift for his 70th?

If you thought you’d heard the last of late North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, you’d be mistaken. Not two months since they embalmed Dear Leader and propped him up in a glass display case in central Pyongyang, the nation is turning out once more for the 70th birthday of their departed Generalissimo, and as usual, spectacle is the order of the day, which has been named the “Day of the Shining Star”.

A six metre bronze statue of a remarkably svelte-looking Kim on a charging stallion has been erected right next to a similar statue of his father in Pyongyang’s central plaza. Thousands of “kimjongilia” or, red begonias, are being left in the frigid cold by his erstwhile mourners, who will have to endure weeks of songs and shows commemorating his grand achievements and the high hopes they share for his heir.

While the nation is subjected to a deluge of commemorative art and celebration of their late departed leader, their current one is using the celebrations to bolster his position and popularity, especially as he and his entourage head to Beijing next week for discussions with the US and China about North Korea’s evolving nuclear ambitions.

Here’s some raw footage from Pyongyang of Jong-Il’s 70th birthday bash,

[Source: BBC News, Associated Press]