Kimilsungia
Encyclopedia
Kimilsungia is a hybrid cultivar
of orchid, Dendrobium
'Kim Il-sung'. Another flower, the Kimjongilia
, is named after Kim Il-sung's son, Kim Jong-il
. Contrary to popular belief, neither the Kimilsungia or the Kimjongilia are a national flower of North Korea
. The national flower of the country is actually the Magnolia
.
The North Korean government
says that Kim Il-sung's peerless character is "fully reflected in the immortal flower" which is "blooming everywhere on the five continents".
-published book Korea in the 20th Century: 100 Significant Events, Kim Il-sung
travelled to Indonesia
to meet with his counterpart, Sukarno
. Kim was taken on a tour of the Bogor Botanical Garden, where:
of foreign countries in North Korea each present their own bouquet of the flower to the annual exhibition.
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
of orchid, Dendrobium
Dendrobium
Dendrobium is a huge genus of orchids. It was established by Olof Swartz in 1799 and today contains about 1,200 species. The genus occurs in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Borneo, Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Zealand...
'Kim Il-sung'. Another flower, the Kimjongilia
Kimjongilia
Kimjongilia is a flower named after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. It is a hybrid cultivar of tuberous begonia.Contrary to popular belief, the Kimjongilia is not a national flower of North Korea...
, is named after Kim Il-sung's son, Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
. Contrary to popular belief, neither the Kimilsungia or the Kimjongilia are a national flower of North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. The national flower of the country is actually the Magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
.
The North Korean government
Government of North Korea
The North Korean government is the executive branch of the state, according to the Constitution of North Korea. In practice, the highest decisions are made by the National Defence Commission of North Korea which is led by its Chairman Kim Jong-il....
says that Kim Il-sung's peerless character is "fully reflected in the immortal flower" which is "blooming everywhere on the five continents".
Naming
According to the PyongyangPyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
-published book Korea in the 20th Century: 100 Significant Events, Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
travelled to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
to meet with his counterpart, Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
. Kim was taken on a tour of the Bogor Botanical Garden, where:
HHH .) is the eighth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The Semitic letter ⟨ח⟩ most likely represented the voiceless pharyngeal fricative . The form of the letter probably stood for a fence or posts....
e stopped before a particular flower, its stem stretching straight, its leaves spreading fair, giving a cool appearance, and its pink blossoms showing off their elegance and preciousness; he said the plant looked lovely, speaking highly of the success in raising it. Sukarno said that the plant had not yet been named, and that he would name it after Kim Il Sung. Kim Il Sung declined his offer, but Sukarno insisted earnestly that respected Kim Il Sung was entitled to such a great honour, for he had already performed great exploits for the benefit of mankind.
Annual festivals
Kimilsungia flower shows are held every year in Pyongyang. Traditionally, embassiesDiplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
of foreign countries in North Korea each present their own bouquet of the flower to the annual exhibition.
Further reading
- Kim In Gi, Kimilsungia, Foreign Languages Publishing House, softcover, 100 pages
External links
- Kimilsungia Is an Immortal Flower That has Bloomed in the Hearts of Mankind in the Era of Independence – Kim Jong-il on Kimilsungia, April 6, 2005.