N. Korea marks Kim Jong

By Jun Ji-hye

North Korea passed the birthday of its leader Kim Jong-un without holding any major events or military provocations, Monday.

The North's state media, including the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), did not mention anything about the young leader's birthday as of the late afternoon.

Kim is believed to have been born on Jan. 8 of 1984.

The North did not celebrate the leader's birthday last year either.

A 2018 calendar of North Korea continues not to state the young leader's birthday as a holiday.

This is in contrast to the repressive state appointing birthdays of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung and the incumbent leader's father Kim Jong-il as national holidays and magnificently celebrating them.

Observers of North Korean issues speculate that the North may still feel uncomfortable releasing the time of birth of the young leader as he is still in his 30s.

The North has rarely mentioned the leader's birthday, including in a report of the KCNA in January of 2014 when former NBA star Dennis Rodman visited Pyongyang with a team of former NBA players in a goodwill game with a North Korean selection of players for Kim's birthday.

Observers expect the North to celebrate Kim's birthday later as his regime continues to seek idolization of the young leader.