Kim Jong Eun Pays Tribute at Kumsusan Palace

On December 17th, Kim Jong Eun and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the body of former
leader Kim Jong Il lies, to commemorate the third year since the senior Kim’s
passing.

Pyongyang’s Chosun Central Television [KCTV] ran a report on
the couple’s visit to the palace at 4:10 p.m. on the same day, along with taped footage from the
central memorial meeting, but did not specify what time Kim’s visit occurred.

The footage indicated the visit to take place in the day
time, indicating that the leader did not  rush to the palace at midnight or the wee morning hours to pay his respects. 

In the state-media report, both Kim Jong Eun and his wife donned black mourning attire, with Kim shown wearing a funeral armband on his left
arm, a traditional Korean funeral custom in which age and lineage in relation to the deceased indicate seniority. The two paid tribute to a standing portrait of Kim’s father and then toured around the extensive hall, displaying the late leader’s medals, car, boat, and film room, and numerous other items.

“Comrade Kim Jong Il’s revolutionary life, paved while
carrying the red flag of revolution,  is one with an unprecedented path of
superhuman capabilities,” the report went. “Even in the final moments of his
life, he continued his arduous footsteps to lay the foundation for the nation’s
strength and wealth.”

“He is a great man of unsurpassed qualities, who under the
banner of songun [military-first politics], led the difficult times of our revolution against the battle
with imperialists and the U.S. to spread the dignity and glory of Kim Il Sung’s Chosun around the world,” it continued. “Comrade Kim Jong Il is Juche’s sun,
living on for centuries to come–forever.”

The young leader appeared to be suffering from a slight limp on his left side, residual from his reported surgery to remove a cyst a few months ago, but his condition appears far better than in previous months. Also notable in the footage was the dual image pin of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il worn by Ri Sol Ju at this year’s commemorative event, following half a step behind her husband; last year, she appeared without the ubiquitous badge at memorial proceedings for the second anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death.

The leader’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong, recently confirmed
as a vice department director in the Central Committee of the ruling Chosun
Workers’ Party, was expected to join Kim at Kumsusan,  but no images
appeared in KCTV’s footage.  

Among those present there were Kim Yong Nam, chairman of the
Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly; Choe Ryong Hae, Chosun Workers’
Party secretary; Premier Pak Pong Ju; Hwang Pyong So, director of the Chosun
People’s Army General Political Department, and other senior officials of the
Party, military, and ministries, according to KCTV.

Meanwhile, KCTV reported that people across the country
observed three minutes of silence at noon.

It declared, “The entire country’s Party members, soldiers,
and people observed three minutes of silence,” facing Pyongyang’s Kumsusan
Palace, where Kim Jong Il permanently lies.

“Exactly at noon, all locomotives, vessels, and automobiles
sounded their sirens, which reverberated across the skies and land,” it
continued. “In time for the third anniversary of Comrade Kim Jong Il’s passing,
on the 17th, Chosun was enveloped in a solemn air of mourning.”

KCTV propped up this narration by broadcasting live images of North Korean residents, heads bowed at 90 degrees, stopping in their tracks at noon across the country to observe the silent
tribute.

It is the second time a silent tribute has been held in honor of the former leader’s death: the
first was in 2012, with none taking place during last year’s second anniversary memorial events.