North Korea's Kim Jong-un visits symbolic mausoleum for first time in 4 years amid idolization criticism

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a mausoleum in Pyongyang, to commemorate his late father's birthday on Sunday for the first time in four years, state media reported Monday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, fourth from left, and other officials pay their respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on the birthday of his father and late leader Kim Jong-il on Feb. 16. [YONHAP]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a mausoleum in Pyongyang, to commemorate his late father's birthday on Sunday for the first time in four years, state media reported Monday.

Kim, who has focused on domestic affairs since dispatching North Korean troops to Russia late last year to support Moscow in its war on Ukraine, may be trying to promote internal unity with a drive to achieve the five-year economy and defense plan announced at the 8th Worker's Party Congress in January 2021.

Analysts also speculate that Kim is aware of criticism of accelerated efforts to idolize himself over his predecessors.

The state-run Rodong Sinmun reported on Monday that Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his grandfather Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong-il are enshrined, the previous day.

Accompanying him on the visit were Workers' Party secretaries Pak Jong-chon and Lee Hi-yong, Defense Minister No Kwang-chol, Party Department Director Kim Jae-ryong, and his younger sister, Party Vice Department Director Kim Yo-jong.

The newspaper reported that Kim Jong-un "expressed his solemn will to devote himself to the sacred struggle for the eternal prosperity of the country, the security of the people and the promotion of their well-being, remaining faithful to the revolutionary ideas and cause of the President and the Chairman."

The President refers to the late North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, while the Chairman refers to the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Kim Jong-un last visited the Kumsusan Palace to mark his father’s birthday in 2021. Although he publicly visited the mausoleum every year since 2011, when he first came to power, he made no announced visits between 2022 and 2024.

On Monday, the Rodong Sinmun increased the number of printed pages from six to eight and filled a significant portion with reports commemorating Kim Jong-il's 83rd birthday. The newspaper also referred to Kim Jong-il's birthday as the "Day of the Shining Star," a term state-run media has used less frequently lately in favor of the expression "Feb. 16."

The North Korean authorities were "seemingly aware of observations from inside and outside the country regarding whether or not they would visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun,” said Oh Gyeong-seob, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU). "It is a multipurpose stepping stone that considers not only criticism of idolization but also public sentiment.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of 10,000 housing units in the fourth phase of the Hwasong District in Pyongyang on Feb. 15. [YONHAP]

Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the fourth-stage project to build 10,000 housing units in the Hwasong area of Pyongyang on Saturday.

According to Rodong Sinmun, Kim Jong-un presented a new capital construction plan to build up underdeveloped areas of Pyongyang at the event.

"We plan to implement with serious intent the policy of extending streets of Pyongyang toward Kangdong as the second stage after winding up the construction in the Hwasong area,” said Kim at the groundbreaking ceremony, according to the Rodong Sinmun.

North Korea announced at the 8th Party Congress a plan to build 50,000 housing units in Pyongyang, constructing 10,000 units per year over five years.

Since then, construction occurred in the Songsin and Songhwa areas in 2021 and the Hwasong area between 2022 and 2024. The finishing work is underway for the third stage of the Hwasong district.

“The plan is to fundamentally improve the quality of life by building housing directly related to the lives of residents," said Jung Yoo-suk, a researcher at KINU. "This showoff construction drive, presented when urban infrastructure was poor, including electricity, water supply and sewage systems, inevitably has inherent limitations.”

BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]