On Thursday, the day following the conclusion of the 9th Party Congress, Kim Jong Un (Kim), General Secretary of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, paid homage at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are preserved.
The party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Friday that Comrade Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Thursday, accompanied by newly elected members of the 9th Central Leadership Body. Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter, Ju Ae, were not present.
The delegation included Politburo Standing Committee members Park Tae-jong, Jo Yong-won, Kim Jae-ryong, and Ri Il-hwan, along with other officials newly elected at the Party Congress. Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, recently promoted from deputy department head to department head, was also observed among the officials.
The newspaper stated that the group solemnly renewed their iron-clad commitment to fulfill their crucial duties in the responsible journey towards the brilliant achievement of the Party’s struggle program. They pledged to remain firmly united around Comrade Kim, described as the most loyal successor to the revolutionary cause of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, and a symbol of the absolute authority and unparalleled strength of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
On the same day, Kim also took commemorative photographs with the congress participants at the venue. The Party Congress was attended by 5,000 representatives and 2,000 observers, totaling 7,000 participants.
The newspaper reported that Kim expressed his expectations and confidence that all participants would take a leading role in implementing the significant policy tasks set forth by the Party Congress in the sacred struggle to enhance the nation’s prosperity and the people’s welfare.
The representatives and observers pledged to wholeheartedly embrace Comrade Kim’s noble intentions and passionate spirit. They vowed to uphold the Party Central Committee’s ideology and leadership with absolute loyalty and determination, fulfilling their revolutionary duties as the Party’s core in the honorable struggle to implement the decisions of the 9th Party Congress.
Following the week-long Party Congress, North Korea is expected to hold various commemorative events in the coming days, including mass rallies and demonstrations.