North Korea abruptly cancels founding day celebrations worldwide amid severe flood crisis

North Korea has abruptly canceled the commemorative events planned at its embassies abroad for the upcoming September 9 anniversary of the regime’s founding.

While North Korea has typically observed this day with relatively subdued events—such as in 2020, when efforts were focused on flood recovery in the Hamgyong provinces following Typhoon Maysak—this sudden cancellation of embassy activities is considered unprecedented.

On the 27th (local time), NK News, a U.S.-based media outlet specializing in North Korea, reported that North Korean embassies around the world abruptly canceled the September 9 events to concentrate resources on flood recovery efforts, citing an email they obtained.

North Korean embassies in Europe notified invitees that the event was canceled as part of national efforts to stabilize the lives of residents following the disaster, expressing regret for the sudden notice and asking for understanding.

Another North Korean embassy in Europe sent a similar message via email, explaining that the cancellation was in accordance with the state’s directive to mobilize all available resources and personnel to support the flood-affected residents.

NK News also confirmed that the cancellation of the regime’s founding day events was observed in Asia as well.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korean embassies had annually held commemorative events on September 9, one of the country’s major political anniversaries, inviting key figures from the host countries as well as diplomatic envoys from various nations.

NK News analyzed that this year’s cancellation of the events at North Korean embassies highlights the severity of the flood damage and the burden it has placed on Kim Jong-un’s regime.

An official from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification stated, “It is highly unusual for North Korea to cancel the regime’s founding day commemorations that are typically held at their embassies around the world,” but added, “As North Korea has not officially disclosed this, we will closely monitor the related developments.”

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, remarked, “If it is true that North Korea, which has been pushing for strengthened non-Western and anti-American diplomacy since the beginning of this year, has canceled such basic diplomatic events, it is an extremely unusual situation.

It is necessary to comprehensively consider the flood recovery efforts, the peculiar signs in North Korea-China relations, and the continued lack of response to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s August 15 unification doctrine.”

BY YEONGGYO CHUNG, YOUNGNAM KIM [chung.yeonggyo@joongang.co.kr]