According to the state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), he "paid New Year greetings to the great leaders" at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun the previous day, accompanied by senior officials and top military brass.
"All the visitors made a firm pledge to fulfill their responsibility and duty in the vanguard of accomplishing the sacred cause for the eternal prosperity and development of the great [North Korea] and the promotion of the people's wellbeing, true to the ideas and leadership of Kim Jong-un with single-minded loyalty," KCNA said.
His customary visit drew particular attention after photos released later showed his daughter Ju-ae in attendance along with her mother Ri Sol-ju.
It was the teenage girl's first attendance at such an event since making her first public appearance in 2022 in the reclusive country, while Kim has visited the mausoleum almost every year, with only occasional exceptions.
Some pundits speculated that Ju-ae's front-row presence during the tribute could signal a possible succession, coming just hours after she publicly kissed her father at a New Year's Eve event.
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