Pyongyang : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid tributes to his grandfather Kim Il-sung on Friday on the 104th birth anniversary of the country’s founder.
Like every year, the young dictator went to the Kumsusan Sun Palace, accompanied by senior military officials, to pay their respects to the embalmed body of the first leader of the Kim dynasty, EFE news reported citing state news agency KCNA.
He also placed wreaths at the foot of the statues of his grandfather and father, the late dictator Kim Jong-il, besides visiting personal relics of both the leaders preserved in the palace and mausoleum, located northeast of the North Korean capital.
More events are expected throughout the day to commemorate the “Day of the Sun”, the most important event in the country, characterized by the cult surrounding the personality of the three leaders of the Kim dynasty who have ruled the country since it was founded in 1948.
This year the anniversary has been marked by the failed launch of a medium-range missile by the North Korean People’s Army at a time of escalating tension between Pyongyang and the international community.
Officials in neighbouring South Korea believe that it was the first trial of a Musudan missile, whose range is up to 4,000 km (2,485 miles), and was intended as part of the anniversary celebrations.
The “eternal President”, born on April 15, 1912, founded North Korea in 1948 with the support of the Soviet Union and imposed a Stalinist system that continues in the country till today.
Kim Il-sung ruled the country until his death in 1994 and his embalmed body rests at Kumsusan next to that of his son and successor, Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011.
IANS