NORTH KOREA
Earlier this year, Kim Jong Un showed the world that giving can be more satisfying than receiving. According to state media, the North Korean supreme leader commemorated his Jan. 8 birthday -- which has yet to be designated a national holiday -- by distributing 1 kilogram of candy to every North Korean child under 10. Even villagers in outlying islands received the treats -- they "exploded with joy" when they saw the gifts, according to the official report.
If Kim Jong Un is looking to nurture his personality cult, he's on the right track. Both his father and grandfather reportedly demonstrated their "paternal love" for the youngest generation of North Koreans by giving away "birthday candy" and other household staples such as eggs (and cigarettes). Today, both former leaders have their own national holidays -- the "Day of the Shining Star" commemorates Kim Jong Il's birthday while the "Day of the Sun" honors Kim Il Sung's -- and Kim Jong Un just honored his father's birth anniversary on Feb. 16 by issuing commemorative stamps, visiting Kim Jong Il's grave, sending wild honey to a maternity hospital ... and testing a nuclear weapon. "Our soldiers and people celebrated the birth of our great leader after we showed our strength and braveness with the successful nuclear test," the country's state-run news agency declared.
Above, images are displayed on a screen as North Korean performers sing at a theater during celebrations to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
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