Kim Jong Un, the general secretary of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, did not visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the Day of the Sun (April 15), which marks Kim Il Sung’s birthday. This marks the fourth consecutive year of absence for Kim Jong Un since 2022, a move analysts interpret as distancing himself from his predecessors while building a North Korea that represents the Kim Jong Un era.
On Thursday, the party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported without mentioning Kim that Premier Pak Thae-song and other top officials, including Jo Yong-won, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, paid their respects to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at the palace the previous day. The photos released by the newspaper did not show Kim Jong Un.
However, the newspaper reported that Kim Jong Un observed artillery shooting competitions conducted by the Korean People’s Army’s Western Combined Forces during the Day of the Sun.
In recent years, Kim Jong Un has shown a tendency to visit construction sites or highlight his achievements during state holidays like his predecessors’ birthdays, rather than visiting Kumsusan.
This approach may serve to demonstrate that planned national projects are proceeding smoothly while also emphasizing his own presence over that of his predecessors, suggesting a strategy of self-promotion.
Previously, Kim visited Kumsusan or attended commemorative performances on his predecessors’ birthdays. Analysts believe he is gradually replacing this traditional pattern with events that showcase his own accomplishments.
Devotes Schedule to Promoting Kim Jong Un Around Founders’ Birth Anniversaries
Kim attended the completion ceremony for 10,000 housing units in the Hwasong area on April 16 last year, coinciding with the Day of the Sun. In 2023, he oversaw the first test launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on April 13. He also participated in the completion ceremony for another 10,000 housing units in Hwasong on April 16 and attended a sports event for cabinet and defense ministry staff on the same day.
A similar trend was observed during Kim Jong Il’s birthday (February 17, the Day of the Shining Star). On February 16 last year, Kim visited the site for 10,000 housing units in the Hwasong area and broke ground. The following day, the newspaper expanded from six to eight pages, with the completion ceremony news occupying pages one to three, while the Kumsusan visit was relegated to page four. Kim’s visit to Kumsusan on the Day of the Shining Star last year was his first in four years.
Additionally, although Kim did not have an official schedule on his father’s birthday last year, state media reported that he directed important military factory inspections and supervised ground-to-sea missile test firings on February 15.
On February 15, 2023, he attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kangdong Greenhouse Farm and the construction of another 10,000 housing units in the Hwasong area. This news received extensive coverage the day after Kim Jong Il’s birthday, while only party and government officials visited Kumsusan the following day.
Distancing from Predecessors’ While Promoting a New Era Image… Touting Achievements Surpassing Past Generations
Experts view these actions as an effort to establish Kim Jong Un’s vision of a new North Korea. Since the conclusion of the 8th Party Congress in 2021, North Korea has consistently used the phrase new era, and following the 9th Party Congress in February, Kim’s individual achievements have gained more prominence.
Professor Kim Sang Bum from Kyungnam University’s Institute for East Asian Studies stated that after the 8th Party Congress, North Korea began to mention the term normal and showed signs of reorganizing its state system, which is a characteristic of North Korean politics. He added that the continuous visits by three generations of dictatorial leaders may not appear normal from an external perspective, which is likely a consideration in their actions.
He continued that this expresses a strong will to lead North Korea with the Kim Jong Un revolutionary thought that surpasses the guiding ideology of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. It appears that internally, they are systematizing Kim Jong Un’s revolutionary thought following Kim Il Sung’s ideology.
Lee Sang Geun, a senior researcher at the National Security Strategy Institute, noted that while there is a clear aspect of distancing from his predecessors, the mention of observing the artillery shooting competition during the Day of the Sun indicates that he is not completely severing ties with them. He explained that at the 9th Party Congress, he also claimed to have achieved greater accomplishments than his predecessors, but to maintain this, he must somewhat restrain their deification.
This senior researcher highlighted expressions in the proposal to re-elect Kim Jong Un as general secretary at the 9th Party Congress, such as that it has made a nation that no threat or sanctions can affect, and that no force can touch, and that it has achieved historical victories that surpass the last century, which triumphed over two imperialist powers. He pointed out that this narrative focuses on the fact that Kim has achieved accomplishments that exceed those of his predecessors.