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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Taesongsan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery on July 26 to lay flowers and pay tribute ahead of the 73rd anniversary of the armistice agreement on July 27, which North Korea celebrates as Victory Day, the Korean Central News Agency reported on July 27. Kim was accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and his daughter, Ju Ae. / Yonhap News

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Cemetery of Martyrs of the Fatherland Liberation War and the Taesongsan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery on the occasion of Armistice Agreement Day, moving to strengthen internal unity by inspiring loyalty among North Korean residents. He also visited the Cemetery of Martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers, showcasing the recently tightened ties between the two countries.

According to the Korean Central News Agency on July 27, Kim completed a schedule visiting three cemeteries related to Armistice Agreement Day on July 26 alone.

Kim visited the Cemetery of Martyrs of the Fatherland Liberation War, a burial ground for North Korean soldiers who achieved merit during the Korean War, meeting with war veterans and wishing them good health and longevity. On this occasion, Kim claimed that the Korean War was "a great victory that decisively defended not only national dignity and sovereignty but also world peace and security in an intense war fought against overwhelming odds against U.S. imperialists and their followers."

North Korea designates and celebrates July 27, the day the armistice agreement was signed, as the Day of Victory in the Fatherland Liberation War, or Victory Day.

Kim also visited the Taesongsan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery, the burial site for anti-Japanese partisans and independence fighters, laying flowers at the graves of first-generation partisans including Kim Chaek, Kang Kon, and Choi Hyon, while mentioning the loyalty of North Korean residents to the leader.

Kim emphasized that "the absolute loyalty to the leader, the spirit of fighting to the death to fulfill revolutionary missions, and the bold fighting willpower that defied impossibility possessed by the fighters sublimated into the ideological and spiritual characteristics of the defenders of the fatherland in the 1950s." He added that "this formed the fundamental basis that raised the victory generation into the republic's most heroic generation and the role model of the Korean people."

In addition, Kim visited the Cemetery of Martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers, where the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers who fought during the Korean War are buried, paying tribute at the grave of Mao Anying, the eldest son of former Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong. Kim stressed that "the noble souls and spirit of sacrifice of the Chinese People's Volunteers warriors who helped with blood serve as the cornerstone of DPRK-China friendship."

Kim's visit to the Cemetery of Martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers was reported in greater detail compared to last year, which is interpreted as reflecting the recently tightened North Korea-China ties. On Armistice Day last year, North Korean media covered Kim's visit to the Friendship Tower with only a brief report.

Meanwhile, attention was drawn to Kim's daughter, Ju Ae, who accompanied him on his schedule that day. Ju Ae's attendance at an official event comes 52 days after she observed the navigation of the Kang Kon vessel on the 4th of last month.

                                                                                                            Mok Yong-jae