Kim Jong-il’s acclaimed feats
N. Korea media says leader is an artist and an engineer
(Reuters) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-il turned 64 on Thursday. The following are reports from official North Korean sources about some of Kim’s acclaimed abilities and attributes:

Reports in the past year
Kim Jong-il is blessed with a photographic memory. Kim goes through intensive memory training every day and can remember the phone numbers of workers, lines of computer code and the personal biographies of cadres.

He impressed one funeral gathering by walking among hundreds of tombstones and recounting the achievements, characteristics, tastes and bereaved family members of the dead he passed.

Kim’s relentless push to advance the communist movement in the state has turned him into something of an insomniac. Kim was quoted as saying he has never had a night of comfortable sleep because of the days and months he spends giving field guidance to factory workers, farmers and troops.

He does manage to take short naps in the car.
The start
Although South Korean and foreign analysts say Kim was probably born in the Soviet Union, official media say he was born at a secret revolutionary camp on Mount Paektu, a northern mountain on the Korean peninsula that many Koreans considered sacred. A double rainbow appeared over the mountain when he was born.

Accomplished young man
According to his official biography, Kim helped develop North Korea’s TV broadcasting industry. He repaired auto engines. He found ways for farmers and steel workers to produce goods more efficiently and avoid back-breaking labor. He wrote a thesis on Korean history. He penned operas and plays — all before turning 23.

The artist
Kim was responsible for placing museums in all corners of the country. He developed an actors’ studio. In 1967, he brought the feature film "Five Guerrilla Brothers" to the screen. That movie was followed by "The Sea of Blood" and other movies, including several award-winning films.

After building a strong North Korean film industry, Kim created a new revolutionary opera and adapted some of his films into operas. Then he developed a new type of literature.

The engineer
Kim’s engineering expertise runs deep in the operation of hydroelectric power stations, cutting-edge design in computer circuits, the construction of floodgates and irrigation canals.

"His profound knowledge in electronic engineering made the scientists listening drop their heads in humble respect," official media said.

The weather
For previous birthdays, North Korean official media have reported on the "Wonders of the February holiday" that included sunrises so brilliant that frost exploded with the sound of firecrackers, rainbows appeared and frozen lakes thawed with such a noise that it caused mountains to shake.

SOURCES: KCNA news agency, North Korea’s Foreign Language Publishing House, North’s communist party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, and North Korean Internet site "Among Our People"