JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the graves of his late grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung, as well as his late father and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to mark the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding, state media reported Friday.
Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, paid their respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of the leaders are buried, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
"In the hall where the President and Chairman lay, the Secretary-General and his wife conveyed the best wishes of eternity to the great leaders who built the original people's state, a prosperous socialist state, and passed it on to future generations by dedicating their entire lives," KCNA said, citing Korea Times Friday 10 September.
Ri's public appearance is believed to be his first in nearly four months, since he attended a performance by the warrior family art group of the large joint unit of the Korean People's Army in May.
Kim Jong-un's trip to the mausoleum came after North Korea held a small-scale military parade at midnight, which featured tractor-carrying artillery rather than intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and other strategic weapons.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the ruling Kim Jong-un, was not seen at Kumsusan Palace or at Thursday's military parade in photos or video footage released by state media.
It is unusual for her to miss North Korea's military parade, as she has attended all parades at major anniversaries since 2015. At a military parade celebrating the eighth congress of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party in January this year, she was seen dressed in a long black leather coat that similar to leader Kim's.
South Korea's Unification Ministry said it would monitor Kim Yo-jong's status at upcoming political events, such as a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly later this month.
Accompanying Kim on the visit to Kumsusan were high-ranking officials, including Choe Ryong-hae, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and Jo Yong-won, secretary of organizational affairs of the party's Central Committee.
North Korea's military chief, Pak Jong-chon, who was recently elected to the Presidium of the ruling Workers' Party, also paid his respects.
KCNA said Kim held a photo session with the participants of the 73rd Anniversary parade and expressed appreciation for fully demonstrating the efficiency of fighting and the unity of our country's paramilitary forces and public security.
He also voiced his hope that the participants would "fulfill their honorable mission and duty of defending the country and building socialism, holding a rifle in one hand and a hammer, sickle or writing brush in the other."
Several celebratory events took place across the country to mark the founding anniversary, including dance parties for youth and women's union members, in an apparent effort to garner domestic support amid the economic downturn due to the protracted COVID-19 pandemic and international sanctions.
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