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N. Korean cadres, officials pay tribute to late former state leaders on founding anniv.

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Summary

North Korea’s senior party and government officials paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on the previous day to mark the country’s 78th founding anniversary. KCNA said they bowed before Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il and pledged to work harder for the country. Kim Jong-un did not join the visit, but a flower basket from him was placed at the statues of the two late leaders.


Key Facts

  • KCNA said the tribute took place on the occasion of North Korea’s 78th founding anniversary.
  • The bodies of state founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il lie in state at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang.
  • The report said labor innovators and persons of merit were invited to the celebrations and paid tribute on the same day.
  • A separate KCNA dispatch said high-ranking officials including Premier Pak Thae-song and Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee Secretary Jo Yong-won visited national cemeteries.
By Yonhap
  • Published Sep 9, 2026 9:11 am KST
North Korean government and party officials visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, Tuesday, to pay tribute to North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, and his son Kim Jong-il, marking the 78th anniversary of the country's founding, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap

North Korean government and party officials visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, Tuesday, to pay tribute to North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, and his son Kim Jong-il, marking the 78th anniversary of the country's founding, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap

North Korea's senior party and government officials have visited the mausoleum of late former state leaders to commemorate the national founding anniversary, state media said Wednesday.

They visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang the previous day, where the embalmed bodies of state founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jung-il lie in state, on the occasion of the country's 78th founding anniversary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"The participants made deep bows to them, praying for their immortality," the report said, adding they "pledged to work harder in the vanguard of historic struggle for the eternal dignity and prosperity of the motherland and happiness of the people."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not take part in the visit, but a flower basket from him was laid at the statues of the two late leaders, according to the report.

On the same day, labor innovators and persons of merit were also "invited to the celebrations" of the anniversary and paid tribute, according to the KCNA.

In a separate dispatch, the media reported high-ranking officials, including Premier Pak Thae-song and Jo Yong-won, a secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, visited national cemeteries.

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