North Korea’s Kim visits father’s mausoleum to mark New Year
Seoul, Jan 2 (EFE).- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the mausoleum of his father and grandfather, former supreme leaders of the country, in his first official act of the year, state outlet KCNA reported on Sunday.
Kim marked the new year by visiting the Kumsusan Palace of Sun, where the embalmed bodies of his father Kim Jong-il (1941-2011) and grandfather Kim Il-sung (1912-1994) are kept, KCNA said.
Accompanied by a large official entourage, Kim paid homage to his father – whose 10th death anniversary was recently marked – and grandfather, with a floral tribute, photos of the event showed.
Other major figures of the regime such as Choe Ryong-hae and Jo Yong-won, as well as members of the politburo of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WKP), were also present, KCNA reported.
Kim, who has been North Korea’s leader since 2011, has subsequently paid tribute to his predecessors during every New Year day except in 2018.
His sister Kim Yo-jong was also part of the procession that paid its respects in front of the statues of the former leaders, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
The official visit to the mausoleum comes after the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the WKP, which ended on Dec. 31 and did not directly address Pyongyang’s ties with the United States and South Korea, choosing to highlight the need to boost economic development for the isolated nation. EFE
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