Seoul, Jan 8 (IANS/EFE) North Korea was quiet Thursday despite it being the birthday of supreme leader Kim Jong-un, an event that was not covered by the state media in contrast to those of his predecessors.
According to experts cited by the South Korean news agency Yonhap, Thursday has not been declared a holiday -- as it was on the birthdays of Kim Jong-un's father and grandfather -- and no celebratory mood was apparent in the nation.
April 15 and Feb 16 are the birthdays of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, and are also the two main annual holidays in the country where the regime has created a personality cult surrounding their leaders, both living and dead.
Analysts believe that Pyongyang could begin to publicly celebrate Kim Jong-un's birthday within four or five years given his apparent youth.
He is believed to have turned 32 Thursday.
However, former American basketball player Dennis Rodman last year travelled to Pyongyang to celebrate Kim's birthday, who is a well-known National Basketball Association fan, and organised an exhibition match in the North Korean capital, which caught the attention of media around the world.
During the event, Rodman also sang "Happy Birthday" to the North Korean dictator in front of Kim's adoring public and authorities gathered at the sports arena.
