Kim Jong-un visits family mausoleum for anniversary of father's death

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the mausoleum housing the bodies of the country’s ruling Kim family to pay tribute to his late father, Kim Jong-il, on the 14th anniversary of the former leader’s death, state media reported Wednesday.

Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang at midnight on Tuesday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

He was pictured visiting alongside other senior officials from the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the military in a photo released by KCNA.

The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun contains the mummified bodies of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the North Korean government and the current leader's grandfather, and Kim Jong-il. Both are publicly displayed. They died on July 8, 1994, and Dec. 17, 2011, respectively. 

Kim Jong-un has visited the mausoleum each year around the anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death, except in 2022, when the visit was curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The current leader's visit comes five days after the ruling Workers' Party concluded a three-day plenary session that prepared for its congress set to take place early next year.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]