Why Did Kim Jong Un Skip the Memorial for Kim Jong Il? His Appearances with Daughter Kim Ju Ae Draw More Attention

[Financial News] Kim Jong Un, chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, did not attend a memorial visit marking the birthday of his father Kim Jong Il, one of the country's major national holidays. Since taking power, Kim had routinely visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on his father's birthday, then stopped doing so in 2022, before returning there last year for the first time in four years. His decision not to visit again this year is drawing attention to the reasons behind it.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on the 17th that senior officials from the party, government, and military paid their respects the previous day at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where Kim Jong Il's body lies in state. However, Kim Jong Un was not seen there.
Kim's absence from this year's memorial visit was somewhat unexpected. Until the previous day, North Korean media had been heavily promoting Kim Jong Il, leading many to believe that Kim Jong Un would likely take part in the ceremony.
Instead, Rodong Sinmun, the North's main party newspaper, filled pages 1 through 4 of its six-page edition on Kim Jong Il's birthday with numerous photos of Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae. It released a large number of images showing the father and daughter attending the February 15 completion ceremony for Saebyol Street, a housing district reportedly built for families of soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine. As a result, granddaughter Kim Ju Ae ended up being highlighted more than Kim Jong Il on his own birthday. South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) recently told the National Assembly that Kim Ju Ae is effectively in the stage of being informally designated as the fourth-generation successor.
Meanwhile, delegates elected from across the country have arrived in Pyongyang ahead of the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, the North's biggest political event. With news of the delegates assembling now made public, it appears that the opening of the congress is imminent. The NIS previously assessed that the congress could be held sometime after the Lunar New Year holidays.
North Korea usually announces the election of delegates and their arrival in Pyongyang before a party congress, and then opens the congress within about a week. At the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, delegates arrived in Pyongyang on May 2, 2016, and the congress opened four days later on May 6. For the 8th Congress, delegates reached Pyongyang in late December 2020, and the congress convened on January 5, 2021. At the upcoming congress, key points of interest include whether Kim Jong Un will be granted the state title of "president" and whether Kim Ju Ae will be formally designated as his successor.

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter