PYONGYANG, North Korea — Army trucks loaded with artillery rolled by the memorial palace for North Korea’s late leaders as Kim Jong-Un presided over a birthday commemoration for his father Thursday.
Kim Jong-Il died of a heart attack in December, and North Koreans marked what would have been his 70th birthday by remembering him and showing support for his young son and successor.
Across Pyongyang, they bowed before Kim Jong-Il’s portrait and laid single blossoms in his honor on the holiday now called “Day of the Shining Star.”
The Kim Jong-Un ode “Footsteps” reverberated across the capital city all day, emphasizing the son’s inheritance of the family legacy bequeathed to him by his father and grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il-Sung.
The Kims have ruled North Korea since its inception in 1948, following the division of the Korean peninsula into the communist-backed north and the U.S.-allied south. Kim Il-Sung remains the country’s “eternal president” even after his death in 1994.
The transition to a third-generation Kim comes at a delicate time for North Korea, which struggles with chronic food shortages and faces pressure to dismantle its nuclear-weapons program.
The nation has leaned heavily on legacy in building up Kim Jong-Un’s credentials, highlighting the similarities to his grandfather in looks and style, and to his father in vision and policy.
“We’re very proud to have him as a successor. … He’s brimming with energy,” said Jang Ye-Song, a guide at a flower exhibition.
