Using the STALIN search engine I found the 1997 KCNA articles which claim that “natural phenomena” are signs of future prosperity in the Kim Jong il era. All the stories are posted below.
Here are the dates and brief summaries of the stories:
1. 3/21/1997 –Weather protects KJI. Sunshine pours dowm on him for photo.
2. 9/29/1997–Flowers bloom on trees when KJI nominated SG of KWP.
3. 10/1/1997–Flowers and leaves bloom on trees.
4. 10/6/1997–KJI makes fog go away, fruit trees blossom.
5. 10/7/1997–Friut trees and flowers blossom – sign of good fortune under KJI.
6. 10/20/1997–Twenty-five consecutive days of beautiful sunrise at Mt. Paektu and sounds of cheers from Lake Chon when KJI nominated SG of KWP.
7. 12/8/1997–KJI visit brings good weather.
After 1997 we see only two more stories where “natural phenomena” legitimize Kim’s rule:
8. 8/29/2001–Natural phenomena occur in Russia as KJI travels to Moscow.
9. 2/12/2009–Snow melts on KJI birthday.
Further Information:
1. Below are the comparative DPRK/ROK per-captia GDP numbers in the KJI era (usual caveats apply). The numbers are in 1990 $US and are from Angus Maddison.
2. Here is a graph comparing DPRK/ROK growth from 1950-2006, again from Dr. Maddison. In 1950, both countries enjoyed a per-capita income of $850 (a number higher than I believe most North Koreans enjoy today). In 2006, Dr. Maddison estimates that the representative North Korean earns an estimated $1,133 and the representative South Korean earns $18,356:
3. Below are all of the stories about the natural phenomena:
Great man and natural phenomena
Pyongyang, March 21, 1997 (KCNA) — A new legend is these days gaining circulation in korea, stirring up the hearts of people. it says, “the Snowstorm of mt. Paektu Fell in Fog”. A legendary phenomenon occured on November 24 last year when the respected General Kim Jong Il, the son of mt. Paektu and a peerlessly great man, was giving on-site guidance to the Panmunjom mission of the Korean People’s Army, an outpost of the forefront. That day, the area of Panmunjom was enveloped in thick fog from dawn. In the previous days, it had been cloudy but fog never set in in the area. The General went round various places of Panmunjom and mounted the balcony of the Panmun House to acquaint himself with the enemy situation. The fog would not go while he was making an inspection tour of the area. So, the enemy failed to observe the kpa post and, accordingly, they could not take any hint of happenings there. Mysterious is the fact that the fog began to lift suddenly and the weather cleared when the general posed for a photograph in front of the monument dedicated to an autograph signature of the great leader President Kim Il Sung. The fog disappeared after the General ended his inspection of Panmunjom. It was when he inspected the KPA Post on mt. Taedok in the western sector of the front on March 18 last year. No sooner had his car arrived at the entrance to the post within the range of the enemy observation than its sky was covered with inky clouds. Instantly the car passed by, the sky began to clear up. a mysterious natural phenomenon took place at a time when the General was inspecting a kpa unit which is defending cho island in the West Sea. After mounting a forward command post, exposed to rain and wind, he stood by a map of operations when the black rain cloud cleared and bright sunrays spread. Such a natural phenomenon happened when he posed for a photograph with sailors at a naval unit on that same day. Informed of them, people say that even the heaven ensures the personal safety of General Kim Jong Il, working mysterious wonders.
Mysterious phenomena in Korea
Pyongyang, September 29, 1997 (KCNA) — Mysterious natural phenomena are being witnessed in different parts of Korea while provincial party conferences adopt resolutions on recommending Secretary Kim Jong Il as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. White flowers came into bloom on a pear tree, attracting butterflies and bees at a factory in Pyongyang on September 27. The tree is as old as the factory. On their way to work, factory workers witnessed this phenomenon and said nature also welcomes the festive event. More than 100 blossoms opened on an apricot tree at the film processing plant in the city on that same day. Eighty-five blossoms were witnessed on five ten-year-old apricot trees and two fifteen-year-olds on a stock farm in Sangwon county on September 25. Fifty pear trees on the Jangchon Cooperative Farm in Sadong district made thousands of blossoms open between September 22 and 25. About 400 blossoms came into bloom on a 20-year-old wild pear tree in a park in front of the Kaesong Municipal Party Committee building in the same period. On the morning of September 22, fishermen of the fishery station in Rajin-Sonbong city caught a 10 cm-long white sea cucumber while fishing on the waters off Chongjin. They said the rare white sea cucumber has come to hail the auspicious event of electing Secretary Kim Jong Il as Party General Secretary. Seeing the mysterious natural phenomena, Koreans say Secretary Kim Jong Il is indeed the greatest of great men produced by heaven and that flowers come into bloom to mark the great event.
Mysterious phenomena continue in Korea
Pyongyang, October 1, 1997 (KCNA) — Mysterious natural phenomena are being witnessed in Korea while provincial Party conferences adopt resolutions on recommending Secretary Kim Jong Il as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. New leaves began to be out on 25 apricot trees planted at the compound of an experimental station of the veterinary institute of the academy of agricultural science from September 10 and young buds put out from September 21 and then flowers came into bloom. Many people came to see the mysterious phenomena every day. And a pear tree planted in the compound of the Hoeryong College of physics in North Hamgyong Province put forth young buds from September 21 and white flowers came into bloom on September 26. 32 flowers came into bloom on an apricot tree in front of Kang Sin Hwan’s house in Munmyongri, Kumchon county, North Hwanghae Province, on September 23. Hundreds of white flowers came into bloom on two pear trees planted in the compound of the Puryong Export Garment Factory of North Hamgyong Province on September 26 when the Provincial Party Conference was held to recommend Secretary Kim Jong Il as General Secretary of the WPK. 22 flowers came into bloom and many young flower buds put out on a crab-apple tree at the central zoo before harvesting fruits. The tree had already bloomed in April and May.
Mysterious natural phenomena
Pyongyang, October 6, 1997 (KCNA) — Mysterious natural phenomena were witnessed on September 28, when Secretary Kim Jong Il, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, inspected KPA unit No. 576, which was undergoing examinations for the “O Jung Hup’s seventh regiment title”. The fields and mountains around the unit were wrapped in a thick fog from the early morning of the day. When Secretary Kim Jong Il in a car arrived at the entrance to the unit, the fog cleared off and the sun shone bright in the blue sky. 2 apricot trees on either side of the road to the unit had 28 and 26 blossoms respectively. Seeing the mysterious natural phenomena, the unit servicemen said that Secretary Kim Jong Il is the famous general produced by heaven.
Mysterious natural phenomena continue
Pyongyang, October 7, 1997 (KCNA)— These days in Korea, flowers come into bloom as if it were spring. This is interpreted as an expression of cheers and best wishes for a bright future of Kim Il Sung’s Korea, which Will have Secretary Kim Jong Il as General Secretary Of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Fifty-five pear trees were full of flowers on the orchard of the Sindo County Reed Integrated Farm in North Phyongan Province on September 21, when the South Phyongan Provincial Conference of the WPK adopted an important resolution. White flowers came into bloom on a 30-year-old wild pear tree near the pond of a pleasure park in Haeju city the day after the South Hwanghae Provincial Conference was held. White roses have come into bloom, some of the flowers being five cm in diametre, at a historic site of Kim jJ Won Haeju Agricultural College since the day of the provincial conference. Employees of the west sea barrage station were full of joy at flowers blooming on a sweet cherry tree near the monument to President Kim Il Sung’s handwritings at the barrage on September 22. Manager of the station Pyon Jong Su said this was the first time that flower came into bloom in autumn and that this means nature also hails the honor of Korea. Apricot trees are blooming in the yards of the houses of Pak Yun Su in the township of Sinchon county, South Hwanghae Province, and Maeng Tong Hui on the Rakchon Cooperative Farm in Kowon county, South Hamgyong Province. Women in Ryongsanri, Junghwa county, Pyongyang, were overwhelmed with joy at the sight of flowering fruit trees on a hill in the village. The whole country is in the fragrance of spring, though it is autumn.
Wonderful natural phenomena on Mt. Paektu
Pyongyang, October 20, 1997 (KCNA) — Wonderful natural phenomena have been witnessed on Mt. Paektu, the time-honored place of the revolution, in Korea. It was dawn on September 21 when the South Phyongan Provincial Party Conference was held to discuss the agenda item on recommending General Kim Jong Il as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. The day before, it snowed and rained on Mt. Paektu as usual till mid-day. In the evening, its temperature abruptly increased more than 10 degrees centigrade higher than the average. And the northwestern wind and northeastern wind, the typical winds on Mt. Paektu, disappeared and the southwestern wind blew. At night, high and low clouds completely disappeared. As the new day was breaking, the eastern sky of orange and yellowish brown colors turned red and a bright sun rose above Mt. Paektu. This grandiose sunrise continued several days. Meteorological observations in this area say that on Mt. Paektu, the sunrise has never occurred for three consecutive days, it showered in the dry season, the sun rose in the rainy season and that cloud and sunshine appeared by turns every one or three days and even hourly. However, in the emotional period when the great general Kim Jong Il was elected as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the sunrise continued for 25 consecutive days, spreading grandiose landscape. A more mysterious natural phenomenon was observed on the afternoon of October 8. At around 05:10 when the special communique informed the people of the election of general Kim Jong Il as General Secretary of the WPK, a colored cloud appeared on Mt. Paektu. This cloud slowly moved from the sky above Janggun Peak toward the Hyangdo Peak. The ground color of the cloud of big parachute type was white and its rims were dyed with seven colors. It was all the more wonderful that the cloud stayed low above Hyangdo Peak for a long time before moving toward Janggun Peak. The moment, mysterious sounds reminiscent of cheers and applause came from surface of Lake Chon and a strong whirlwind rose which carried piles of snow into the sky and dropped them onto the ground, adorning the sky on Mt. Paektu in various colors. Witnessing these wonderful natural phenomena, its inhabitants said that nature also celebrated Kim Jong Il’s election as WPK General Secretary.
Mysterious natural phenomena
Pyongyang, December 8, 1997 (KCNA) — Mysterious natural phenomena were witnessed in Korea before and after November 30. The day before General Kim Jong Il visited Kim Chaek Air Force University, it heavily rained and blew hard all day long from the morning. In the evening an owl flew into the university dispensary and perched for hours. There were no cloud in the sky and no blow the next day. The instructors and students of the university were surprised at the abrupt change of weather. That day, General Kim Jong Il, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, visited the university. After he left the university, the snow fell in large flakes in the evening, which piled up 40 cm on the ground.
Anecdotes about Kim Jong Il during his Russia visit
Pyongyang, August 29, 2001 (KCNA) — There are many anecdotes about leader Kim Jong Il during his historic visit to the Russian Federation. Mysterious natural phenomena took place in Hasan, Novosibirsk, Omsk and other places he went. The rain which had lasted for a week or ten days stopped all of a sudden and the sun began shining. On seeing these phenomena, Russians praised him as a legendary great man capable of controlling nature.
When he visited the Omsk state science library named after Pushkin, the guide said that Jo Ki Chon, a revolutionary poet of Korea, was “Mayakovski of Korea”.
On hearing this, Kim Jong Il explained that Jo was “Pushkin of Korea” and made a proper appreciation of his exploits and talent. The officials of the library were deeply admired by his warm love of the nation and highly praised him as a genius of literature produced by mankind.
There is also an anecdote about his visit to the Mausoleum of Lenin to pay homage to Lenin.
Ritbinov, first vice-editor-in-chief of the newspaper Patriot, said that Kim Jong Il’s visit to the mausoleum of Lenin signified that the leader of the world cause of socialism declared victory of socialism on red square in Moscow and indicated the way of winning victory of socialism to the communists and the people of the world.
There is an anecdote about the leadership trait of Kim Jong Il who always links whatever he sees or has in mind with the interests of the Korean revolution and the people’s living.
While conversing with the mayor of the city of St. Petersburg Kim Jong Il raised a question about a turbine with its rotator having an angle of 45 degrees. This made Russians keenly realize what great energy and wisdom he is devoting to the development of the power industry in Korea.
There are anecdotes about what a tight program he had counting every second and minute during his six hour stay in Khabarovsk, how energetically he worked in the entire period of travelling by train, always doing three or four kinds of work at a time without a moment’s rest and what a rich knowledge he had of the world history and what an outstanding insight he had into the present situation.
Unprecedented Natural Phenomena on Jong Il Peak
Pyongyang, February 12 (KCNA) — The snow in the area of Jong Il Peak began to thaw with the auspicious February 16, the birthday of General Secretary Kim Jong Il just ahead, heralding the approach of spring.
According to the data tabulated in the Paektusan Secret Camp Meteorological Observatory, the temperature in the area from the beginning of February this year is 15 degrees higher than last year to make willow trees in Sobaeksu Valley open catkins on Feb. 11 three days earlier than the previous years.
Five centimeters of snow is thawing every day on an average in the area.
As there is no strong wind and mild climate continues there, it is foreseen that the depth of snow will go down by nearly 60 centimeters in the middle of this month.
An unprecedented phenomenon of moon halo was observed.
At around 18:25 on February 8 the surroundings of the peak became as bright as daytime to make the night view above Kim Jong Il’s birthplace in the Paektusan Secret Camp brilliant.
This was the first of its kind there this year.
Those who witnessed the opening of willow catkins earlier than the previous years and the unprecedented nocturnal view said excitedly that even the nature and the sky unfolded such mysterious ecstasy in celebration of the birthday of Kim Jong Il.
A dose of reality cannot come soon enough for the DPRK. Even 12 years later many there still believe this.