North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a memorial hall to pay tribute to the regime's late founder upon the 23rd anniversary of his death, its state-run media said Saturday.
Kim Jong-un was at the Kumsusan Memorial Hall, where the body of Kim Il-sung, his grandfather, is enshrined, to pay respects and mark the anniversary of his passing in 1994, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. Yonhap
He was also accompanied by key party and military officials who contributed to the successful launch of the Hwasong-14, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which Pyongyang fired off on Tuesday in its latest provocation in defiance of international sanctions.
The test-firing of its first ICBM has sparked fresh tensions over the Korean Peninsula and the allies of South Korea as the North's missile capabilities are seen as growing at a faster pace than expected.
Pyongyang said that its nuclear and missiles will not be up for negotiations unless Washington give up what it calls a hostile policy toward the North.
After he paid homage to the founder, he offered flowers at the standing statues of his grandfather and his father, Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011, the state media said.
Kim, reported to be in his early 30s, came to power in 2012 and has since paid a visit to the memorial hall every year on key anniversaries of the founder. (Yonhap)