SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2020) North Korean leadership visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Wednesday to attend the ceremony marking 108th anniversary since the birth of Kim Il-Sung, the country's founder, Korean Central news Agency (KCNA) said on Thursday, but did not mention whether Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of North Korea, participated in the ceremony.
The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which was built in 1976, used to be Kim Il-Sung's official residence but it was transformed to his mausoleum after his death.
The ceremony was attended by the Cabinet of Ministers, members of the State Council and other high-ranking officials. Nonetheless, Kim Jong Un's name was not mentioned among the attendees for the first time since 2011, when he became the country's leader.
KCNA previously said that Kim Jong Un missed a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly on Sunday, and Choe Ryong Hae, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, who is considered to be the second most powerful politician in the country, presided over the session.
South Korean media has reported that the COVID-19 pandemic is a possible reason why Kim Jong Un is missing events with a large number of participants, despite the fact that North Korea has not yet confirmed any coronavirus cases on its soil.
