Kim Jong-un reportedly sent a group of gardeners to labor camps because their flowers did not bloom on time.
The North Korean dictator reportedly made the decision after being informed that the “Kimjongilia” begonias — a flower named after his late father Kim Jong-il — would not be ready to mark the former leader’s birthday.
The flowers were to be the focus of a major celebration on February 16, known as Shining Star Day.
According to reports, a man in his 50s from Samsu County — identified as Han — was the manager of a greenhouse that grows Kimilsungias and Kimjongilias, and was sentenced to six months in a labor camp.
Kimjongilias, also known as the “immortal flower,” were created by Japanese botanist Kamo Mototeru to mark Jong-il’s birthday in 1988.
However, since his death in 2011, the flower has taken on much more significance.
Last month, Han was ordered to make sure the flowers were ready for a large display to mark both Sun Day (a day to mark the birthday of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung) and Shining Star Day.
To ensure that the special flowers grow properly, the temperature and humidity of the greenhouse must be carefully monitored.
However, due to a lack of firewood, this was not possible and they did not bloom in time, and the gardeners were then accused of neglecting the flowers and punished.
A source told Daily NK News, “The economic activity has decreased sharply due to the strengthening of the country’s emergency disease control measures, which led to the neglect of many greenhouses in Kimilsungia-Kimjongilia.
“But now they are suddenly saying that Kimjongilia flowers must be grown in time for the event, so how is Han supposed to grow them?”
The source continued, “Other employees have been sanctioned.
“A florist named Kim [in her 40s] was called every day to the county party committee to report on the condition of the flowers and write self-criticism reports.”
A man known as Choi, in charge of the boilers in the greenhouses, was also sentenced to three months in the labor camps for not “setting the temperature correctly.”
The difficulties of growing Kimilsungias and Kimjongilias are not new, so they are often imported from China.
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