Overview

• At midnight on July 8, Kim Jong-un paid homage to his grandfather at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun flanked by top party figures including Pak Thae-song, Choe Ryong-hae and Jo Yong-won.
• Rodong Sinmun hailed Kim Il-sung as a peerless great man and asserted that the founder’s vision of a powerful nation is being fulfilled under Kim Jong-un’s rule.
• Nationwide flags were lowered to half-mast as mourners visited mausoleums, statues on Mansudae Hill and took part in school and civic events commemorating the anniversary.
• State media urged unwavering loyalty to Kim Jong-un by emphasizing adherence to the Workers’ Party’s revolutionary ideology as the highest priority.
• Analysts say Kim’s return to a full-scale mausoleum visit refutes earlier expectations of a scaled-down observance and highlights his effort to assert standalone authority.