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| ▲ This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on July 8, 2025, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (C) visiting the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to pay tribute to late state founder Kim Il-sung to mark the 31st anniversary of his death. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) NK founder-death anniversary
(2nd LD) N. Korea's Kim visits mausoleum to mark 31st anniversary of founder's death
(ATTN: UPDATES with assessment from Seoul in last 3 paras)
SEOUL, July 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday visited a mausoleum for late state founder Kim Il-sung to mark the 31st anniversary of his death, the North's state media reported.
Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to pay tribute to the late leader at midnight, flanked by key party officials, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of Kim Jong-un died due to heart failure on July 8, 1994, at age 82.
"He made a deep bow of best wishes for immortality to the great leaders," the KCNA said, referring to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, the late father of the current leader.
North Korea is expected to hold this year's anniversary in a relatively calm manner as the country usually marks every fifth and 10th key anniversaries with large-scale celebrations.
The visit came as the North's leader has been strengthening his status as a standalone leader while reducing his reliance on his predecessors for authority.
An official at South Korea's unification ministry assessed that party secretary Ri Hi-yong may not be a member of the presidium of the party politburo, reversing the ministry's earlier assessment that he may have been promoted to the post from his current position as a politburo member.
The presidium is the top leadership of the country's ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
The KCNA listed only Pak Thae-song, Choe Ryong-hae and Jo Yong-won as the presidium members who accompanied Kim on his latest visit to the mausoleum.
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