Statue Unveiled To Mark Kim Jong-Il's 70th

A bronze statue of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has been unveiled as part of events to mark what would have been his 70th birthday later this week.

The country's propaganda machine has gone to great lengths to build up the man who led the nation for 17 years until his death in December.

The sculpture depicting Kim Jong-Il on horseback with his father Kim Il Sung was revealed to hundreds of people gathered in the capital Pyongyang.

The former leader's birthday on Thursday has been dubbed 'Day of the Shining Star' and postage stamps, new songs and commemorative coins have been rushed into production.

Slogans have even been carved on the sides of mountains.

A flower show was dedicated to Kim Jong-Il, with senior leaders bowing their heads as around 30,000 bright kimjongilia flowers decorated a heated display hall.

As his son and successor, Kim Jong-Un, takes over the country's helm, North Korea is raising Kim Jong-Il in death to a level that it refrained from - at his insistence - during his life.

This contrasts with the personality cult that surrounded his father, national founder Kim Il Sung, even before his death in 1994.

Kim Jong-Il himself reportedly told officials in 1999 that he wasn't ready to accept such adulation while his promise of building an affluent society in the country, which has a population of 24 million.

For years, North Koreans prepared for three major milestones in 2012: Kim Jong-Il's 70th birthday, the centenary of Kim Il Sung's birth and the 80th anniversary of the Korean People's Army, the backbone of Kim Jong-Il's "military first" rule.

Kim Jong-Il's death of a heart attack disrupted those plans. Daily life ground to a halt, with many shops, bars and restaurants in Pyongyang shutting their doors during 11 days of mourning.

As Kim Jong-Un stepped into his new role, North Koreans went back to work, turning celebration plans for Kim Jong-Il's February 16 birthday into commemorations.