North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the mausoleum for his late grandfather and father on the 81st anniversary of the founding of the country's armed forces, Pyongyang's official media said Friday.

Accompanied by members of the ruling Worker's Party of Korea, the Cabinet, the National Defense Commission (NDC) and top military brass, Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Thursday, which is the birthday of the Korean People's Army (KPA), the Korean Central News Agency reported.

The Kumsusan Palace is the place where the embalmed bodies of Kim Il-sung, the country's founder, and his son Kim Jong-il lie in state. The incumbent leader took over the country after the sudden death of his father Kim Jong-il in late 2011.

The KPA's birthday is one of the most important holidays in the North since it marks the date in 1932 when Kim Il-sung first forged together an armed partisan group to fight Japanese imperialists.

In addition, Kim Jong-un took park in a banquet to celebrate KPA's founding day at Mokran House in the capital city.

At the event, Jang Song-thaek, the vice chairman of the NDC, and Kim's uncle made a toast to highlight the need to move forward with the expansion of the country's nuclear weapons capability, which is vital for making the country into a "kangsong taeguk" -- a prosperous and powerful nation with a strong military and economy. 

North Korea's official news wire service said that besides North Korean dignitaries, the banquet was attended by foreign diplomats and military attaches. (Yonhap News)