The Greatest of Great Men

This is the North Korean Central News Agency press release in October, 1997 that prompted my favorite New York Times article ever:

Kim Jong Il, son of former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994, was confirmed
as general secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea on October 8. Mysterious natural phenomena
are being witnessed in different parts of Korea as provincial party conferences adopt resolutions
recommending Kim Jong Il as general secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea.
White flowers came into bloom on a pear tree, attracting butterflies and bees at a factory in
Pyongyang on September 27. On their way to work, factory workers witnessed this phenomenon
and said nature welcomes the festive event. More than 100 blossoms opened on an apricot tree
near a film-processing plant in the city on that same day. Eighty-five blossoms were witnessed
on apricot trees at a stock farm in Sangwon County on September 25. About 400 blossoms came
into bloom on a twenty-year-old wild pear tree in a park in front of the Kaesong Municipal Party
Committee building in thesame period. On the morning of September 22, fishermen of the fishery
station in Rajin-Sonbong city caught a 10-centimeter magical 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.

*This update typed while listening to and half-watching a horrible Lifetime movie.