Kim Jong-un visits mausoleum on important North Korean anniversary
Seoul, Apr 16 (EFE).- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the mausoleum where the bodies of his grandfather and father rest on the occasion of the country’s most important national holiday, state media reported Friday.
Kim on Thursday visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang to pay tribute to the two former strongmen, as is tradition on the “Day of the Sun,” which commemorates the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung (1912-1994), grandfather of the current leader.
Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju, state agency KCNA reported Friday.
Among senior officials who also visited Kumsusan with Kim were his sister, Kim Yo-jong, who is also the deputy director of propaganda of the single party and Jo Yong-won, a new member of the Workers’ Party since the country’s party congress in January.
In turn, Kim Jong-un and the first lady also attended a musical performance in the North Korean capital Thursday.
The celebrations of “Day of the Sun” this year seem to have returned to a certain normality after they were reduced in 2020 due to the pandemic.
In fact, the supreme leader did not go for the first time in his mandate to Kumsusan on the “Day of the Sun” of 2020, triggering speculations about his health.
The country says it has not yet detected a single case of Covid-19 and has closed its borders, something hitting its already battered economy hard.
The anniversary also comes at a time when South Korean and United States military intelligence closely monitor North Korea’s army due to the possibility of it carrying out a new test of weapons of mass destruction, something usual during the “Day of the Sun.”
Satellite images have detected activity around the Sinpo shipyard, which could imply preparations for the test of a new ballistic missile for submarines or to unveil the new submarine Pyongyang has been developing.
North Korea carried out two missile tests in late March at a time marked by the revision of the new US strategy to deal with the regime, which has not returned to the negotiation table with Washington to discuss disarmament and relaxation of sanctions since 2019. EFE
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