North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a rare visit to his ancestors’ mausoleum on Sunday, marking the first time in four years he has paid tribute to the tomb on his father’s birthday.
Analysts suggest the gesture may have been an attempt to reinforce his regime’s legitimacy amid growing international calls for it to denuclearise.
On Sunday, Kim, accompanied by top military officials and his influential sister, Kim Yo-jong, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to honour their late father Kim Jong-il, and grandfather Kim Il-sung.
The visit coincided with the Day of the Shining Star, a national holiday in North Korea on February 16, Kim Jong-il’s birthday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the younger Kim expressed a “solemn will” to dedicate himself to the “sacred struggle” for the nation’s eternal prosperity, the safety of its people and the promotion of their well-being.
He vowed to remain faithful to the revolutionary ideals of both his father and grandfather, whose embalmed bodies are housed at the mausoleum. It marked the first time since 2021 that he had visited the mausoleum on his father’s birthday.
The visit signals a possible shift in Kim’s approach, reversing a recent trend in which he downplayed the personality cult surrounding his ancestors in favour of establishing his own authority, analysts say.
“By invoking his ancestors’ legacy at this time, Kim may be aiming to strengthen domestic loyalty and bolster his leadership amid ongoing international scrutiny over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions,” Hong Min, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told This Week in Asia.
Kim Il-sung’s birthday on April 15, known as the Day of the Sun, and Kim Jong-il’s birthday, the Day of the Shining Star, are the most important national holidays in North Korea’s Stalinist dynasty.
In recent years, North Korea’s propaganda machinery has often avoided using the term “Day of the Shining Star” in favour of simply referring to February 16 as Kim Jong-il’s birthday.
This was seen as part of an effort by Kim Jong-un to build a personality cult focused more on himself than his predecessors.
However, this year, the KCNA and other state media returned to using the reverent term, shifting the spotlight back to his ancestors’ legacy.
“Kim Jong-un might have felt the need to resort to his ancestors’ glory again after recent signals from Washington indicated that the policy [of former US president Joe Biden’s administration] of complete denuclearisation would continue,” Hong said.
US President Donald Trump, who has hinted at resuming summit diplomacy with Kim, reaffirmed last week the principle of “complete denuclearisation of North Korea” for the first time since his inauguration.
At a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the two leaders reaffirmed the principle of North Korea’s complete denuclearisation and formally included it in their diplomatic readout.
“Kim Jong-il is remembered as the pioneer of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development. Now, Kim Jong-un is signalling that he will continue his father’s legacy by building up nuclear arsenals, despite international pressure,” Hong said.
Yang Moo-jin, head of the University of North Korean Studies, suggested that Kim was dialling back on efforts to cultivate his own personality cult because many North Koreans had been confused by the sudden diminishment of the reverence previously reserved for his ancestors.
“Kim Jong-un feels uncomfortable about the personality cult focused on him and wants to share the burden of fending off international pressure for denuclearisation with the souls of his deceased ancestors,” Yang said.
On Saturday, Kim attended the groundbreaking ceremony for 10,000 new housing units in the Hwasong district of Pyongyang, according to Rodong Sinmun, the party’s daily newspaper.
At the 8th Party Congress in 2021, North Korea announced a plan to build 10,000 housing units annually in Pyongyang over the next five years.
“This plan is designed to improve the quality of people’s livelihoods,” said Jung Yoo-suk, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
“However, the construction drive, taking place amid a lack of urban infrastructure such as electricity, water supply and sewage systems, inevitably has inherent limitations.”