Kim Jong-un marks 7th anniversary of father's death

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pays a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather and Kim Il-sung are on display, on the seventh anniversary of Kim Jong-il's death, state-run media outlets reported Monday. / Yonhap

By Park Ji-won

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the mausoleum of his late father Kim Jong-il to commemorate the seventh anniversary of his death, in his first public appearance in two weeks.

Amid stalled denuclearization talks with Washington, Kim paid his respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his late father and grandfather Kim Il-sung are on display, “on the occasion of the biggest national memorial day,” according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and other North Korean media outlets Monday.

“He paid highest tribute while looking up at statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il,” the KCNA said.

The state-run media added that Kim Jong-un laid flowers at the statues of his father and grandfather.

The day of Kim Jong-il's death is one of the North's most important anniversaries. Kim has been visiting the mausoleum every year since he took power in 2012. Thousands of Pyongyang citizens reportedly visited statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at various locations throughout Pyongyang.

This was his first public appearance reported by state media in two weeks since a “field guidance” trip to a shoe-making factory in Wonsan, Dec. 3. The move came amid stalled denuclearization talks with South Korea and the U.S.

Pyongyang and Washington have failed to narrow their gaps in the details of the denuclearization process since their leaders' Singapore summit in June. The North wants sanctions relief in exchange for further denuclearization steps. Washington, meanwhile, is asking for more tangible measures before making such concessions.

Their differences in negotiations are seen more frequently these days.

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “in no hurry” to negotiate with North Korea, signaling a delay in the second North-U.S. summit which he said earlier would be held between January and February. The North, meanwhile, rebuked the U.S. move Sunday, saying its approach could “block the path to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula forever.”

Reporting Kim's visit, the Rodong Sinmun said he called for more efforts to “fulfill the obligation and duties as his revolutionary soldiers” and work hard to “implement his plan and wish to the last without a deflection and any concession.”

Senior party officials accompanied Kim to the mausoleum, the KCNA said, without mentioning specific names.

A photo printed on the front page of the newspaper showed senior party officials, such as Pak Tae-song, O Su-yong, Kim Pyong-hae, Choe Ryong-hae and Ri Su-yong, walking into the hall with him.