At a February 2003 flower show to celebrate the 61st birthday of Kim Jong Il, kimjongilia — otherwise known as red begonias — bear tribute to North Korea’s leaders. Developed by a Japanese botanist, the kimjongilia flower is meant to symbolize the “wisdom, love of justice, and peace” inherent in North Korea’s ruling ideology of “juche” or self-reliance, official descriptions say. Now North Korea’s national flower, the kimjongilia is a frequent icon in mass spectacles, parades or demonstrations held to honor the Dear Leader or his father, Kim Il Sung. North Korea claims that this red perennial has even taken on some revolutionary impulses of its own, spreading to more than 60 countries around the world, including the U.S.

Photo: Julian Rake/Reuters