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North Koreans bow at the bronze statues of their late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Mansu Hill Grand Monument in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. North Koreans are marking the seventh anniversary of the death of leader Kim Jong Il with visits to the statues and vows of loyalty to his son, Kim Jong Un. AP/PTI Photo[/caption]
Pyongyang, Dec. 17 (IANS): North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, his family mausoleum, to mark the seventh death anniversary of his father Kim Jong-il, according to state media.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim Jong-un placed floral tributes in front of the statues of his father and his grandfather Kim Il-sung, the founder of the country, and later paid tribute to his father's embalmed body, reports Efe news.
Kim Jong-un said at an event at the palace, attended by members of the Workers' Party, that his government had adhered to the ideology of Kim Jong-il and had "resolutely struggled to carry out his last instructions for the last seven years".
The leader urged his party to fulfil its obligations and duties as Kim Jong-il's "revolutionary soldiers."
KCNA and state daily Rodong Sinmun on Monday published a photo of Kim Jong-un standing by as soldiers paid homage to the statues of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-sung.
Kim Jong-il ruled the country for 17 years, from 1996 to his death in 2011, after which his younger son Kim Jong-un became the leader.
North Korea also celebrates the birth anniversary of Kim Jong-il every year in a festival called the Day of the Shining Star.
