0181 Kimjongilia

Don’t leave Pyongyang without a visit to the Central Botanical Gardens to see two flowering plants that are so DPRK: kimilsungia and kimjongilia. Kimilsungia – or the flower of Kim Il Sung – is a type of pink orchid named for the Great Dead Leader Kim Il Sung. According to legend, President Sukarno named this flower for the Korean leader when he admired it on a trip to Indonesia. Kimjongilia, or the flower of Kim Jong Il, is a type of red tuberous begonia created by a Japanese botanist and presented to the General as a token of friendship between the two countries. It blooms every year on February 16th, the General’s birthday and is referred to in a rousing song as “The flower of our loyalty.” These flower types are called cultivars. Fitting. Cultivars for cults of personality. #hacker #NorthKorea #ceas