North Korean leader Kim again pays respects to late father

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and officials look at a train used by late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s assumption of the supreme commandership of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) in this still image taken from video released by KRT, the state TV yesterday.

DPA/Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the country’s sacred site yesterday to pay homage to his late father, official media reported.

State-run TV showed military, party and government officials joining him in honouring Kim Jong-il at the mausoleum in Pyongyang, where his embalmed body and that of his father, the nation’s founder Kim Il-sung, lie in state.

The visit came as North Korea commemorated the 22nd anniversary of Kim Jong-il becoming supreme commander of the military in 1991, the Korean Central News Agency said.

Last week, Kim also paid tribute to his father at the mausoleum to mark the second anniversary of his death in 2011.

The latest visit came less than two weeks after the regime executed Jang Song-thaek, the young leader’s uncle who was previously considered a mentor and powerful ally. He was charged and convicted of plotting a coup.

Jang’s widow, Kim Kyong-hui, the new leader’s 67-year-old aunt, has not been seen at any of the public functions since the execution.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Monday it believed her to be safe, despite her absence from recent events.