North Korean leader Kim Jong-un skips late state founder’s birthday for third year running

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared to have skipped the 113th birthday of late state founder Kim Il Sung, known in the North as “the Day of the Sun,” marking it the third year for the North Korean leader to miss the event in an apparent move to establish his own legacy instead.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday that senior party officials, including Premier Pak Thae-song, chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly’s standing committee Choe Ryong-hae and members of the Presidium of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s Politburo, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Tuesday.

However, there was no mention of Kim Jong-un’s presence, marking the third consecutive year since 2023 where the North Korean leader has missed the state founder’s birth celebration.

Kim Jong-un had traditionally paid respects at the palace on major political anniversaries — including the birthdays and death anniversaries of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong-il, and the founding day of the Workers’ Party — but his appearances have noticeably decreased in recent years.

Since taking power in 2012, Kim regularly led senior officials on visits to the palace on the Day of the Sun. However, he skipped the event for the first time in 2020, during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. He resumed the tradition in 2021 and 2022, visiting the site with his wife Ri Sol-ju.

Kim Jong-un instead attended the completion ceremony for the third-stage housing section of the newly developed Hwasong area in Pyongyang the same day, according to the KCNA.

Pyongyang’s northeastern district of Hwasong, along with Songhwa, has been newly developed under a five-year plan unveiled by the leader in 2021 to build 10,000 housing units in the capital every year.

The first batch of 10,000 apartments was completed in Songhwa the following year, followed by 20,000 more units built in the first- and second-stage sections of Hwasong in 2023-2024.

The latest completion of the third-stage section brings the total number of new apartments to 40,000 so far, with Kim Jong-un claiming the completion of the final fourth-stage section will successfully resolve housing issues in the capital area.

The housing construction, along with another major construction plan to develop rural areas, known as the “Regional Development 20X10 Policy,” is the North Korean leader’s pet project aimed at improving the living standards of the people.

The KCNA quoted Kim Jong-un as saying during Tuesday’s ceremony that he was “sorry to provide the modern apartment houses only now,” adding he was firmly “determined to take upon himself more work for the people.”

The North Korean leader also cut the inauguration tape and met with workers and senior citizens who will move into the new apartments, with high-profile cadres attending the ceremony alongside him, including Premier Pak, the KCNA said.

Kim’s latest appearance marks his fourth visit to the third-stage section of the Hwasong new town, including the groundbreaking ceremony last year and two additional visits in March and April while construction was underway.

He appears to have chosen the founder’s birthday, known as the biggest national holiday in North Korea, as the date for the completion ceremony to rally public support and further solidify his leadership.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG  [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]