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Topics: Kim Jong-un, North Korea, World News, Viral
Shola Lee
A group of gardeners have allegedly been sent to labour camps by Kim Jong-un.
According to reports, the North Korean leader sent the gardeners to labour camps when flowers didn't bloom in time to celebrate his late father Kim Jong-il's birthday.
The flowers were supposed to form a center piece for the Day of the Shining Star, February 16.
The flowers in question are the 'Kimjongilias', which are also known as the 'immortal flower'.
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Mototeru Kamo, a Japanese botanist, created the flowers to mark Kim Jong-un's birthday and they have since become a central part of the Day of the Shining Star celebrations that remembers the former leader.
A man identified as Han was said to be managing the greenhouse where the flowers were growing and was reportedly ordered to make sure the flowers were ready in time for the Day of the Shining Star and the Day of the Sun, which marks North Korean founder Kim Il-sung's birthday.
However, due to a lack of firewood, the greenhouse wasn't kept humid enough for the flowers to grow, meaning they failed to bloom on time, resulting in him allegedly being handed six months in a labour camp.
A source spoke to Daily NK News about the alleged incident: 'Economic activity greatly decreased due to the strengthening of the country's emergency disease-control measures, which led many Kimilsungia-Kimjongilia greenhouses to become neglected.
'But now they're suddenly saying that the Kimjongilia flowers have to be grown in time for the event, so how is Han supposed to grow them?'
According to the source, Han isn't the only employee said to have faced repercussions, adding: 'Other employees have been punished'.
A person known by the name Choi was said to be in charge of boilers at the facility and was also allegedly sentenced to three months in the labour camps for not 'properly setting the temperature'.
The flowers were said to be kept under surveillance and 'a flower grower surnamed Kim was called in every day to the county party committee to report on the state of the flowers and to write self-criticism reports'.
This is not the first time there have been issues with the flowers, with them having previously been imported from China as a result of growing difficulties.
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