North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid respects to his grandfather and founder of the communist country on Tuesday marking his 102nd birthday, the North's state media said.

Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the body of Kim Il-sung, along with his son and former leader Kim Jong-un, lies in state, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency.

The founding father died in 1994, and his birthday is one of the most important holidays in North Korea.

In his visit to the palace, the young leader Kim was accompanied by senior officials, including Choe Ryong-hae, the military's top political officer, and Jang Jong-nam, the minister of the People's Armed Forces, the KCNA said.

Those accompanying Kim "made a pledge to complete the revolutionary cause and the military-first policy" initiated by the two predecessors, according to the media.

The junior Kim took the helm of the communist country in 2011 following the sudden death of Kim Jong-il, who also inherited power from his father Kim Il-sung. (Yonhap)