North Korean television broadcast a new drama series for the first time in two years this week, telling a story about Kim Jong Un’s rural development efforts that hinted at local resistance to the ruling party’s policies.

The DPRK celebrated the 113th birthday of Kim Il Sung in a relatively low-key fashion on Tuesday, amid expectations for a military parade later in the year. State media more frequently referred to the country’s biggest holiday as the “Day of the Sun” compared to last year, a shift that appears to reflect authorities’ patient approach to