N. Korea gives school uniforms to mark founder's birth

North Korea is giving new uniforms to all schoolchildren to mark the centenary of the birth of its late founder Kim Il-sung, the country's official media reported Saturday.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said uniforms will be provided to all primary and secondary schoolchildren and students attending universities. Kim Il-sung's birthday falls on Sunday and is considered the most important holiday in the communist country.

The media outlet said the distribution of uniforms is the legacy of Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il, who died unexpectedly in December. Pyongyang first provided uniforms to schoolchildren in 1959, and the latest move is assumed to be aimed at strengthening the loyalty of the people to their leaders.

The communist country also unveiled a huge statue of Kim Jong-il on Mansu Hill, alongside that of his father, to showcase the hereditary succession of rule by the Kim family. At present the country is run by Kim Jong-un, the 20-something son of former leader Kim Jong-il and grandson of the nation's founder.

Besides giving out uniforms, the KCNA said Kim Jong-un has given 2.32 billion won ($2.04 million) in scholarships to children of Korean nationals in Japan who have supported the North Korean regime. (Yonhap News)