hankyoreh

flanked by his wife Ri Sol-ju

By Choi Hyun-june, staff reporter

North Korea staged a large-scale rally on Dec. 17 to mark the second anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il’s death.

The event was attended by current leader Kim Jong-un, numerous officials from the North Korean government, military, and Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), and over 20,000 members of the public.

Lasting one hour and 12 minutes, the Central Commemorative Rally for the Second Anniversary of Comrade Kim Jong-il’s Passing was broadcast live on Korean Central Television, starting at 10:55 am and finishing at 12:07 pm.

Kim Jong-un was seated at the center of the “leader’s platform”, flanked by 30 members of the North Korean leadership. The fifteen people seated on his right included military Political Bureau chief Choi Ryong-hae, Chief of General Staff Ri Yong-gil, and Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Jang Jong-nam. The fifteen on his left included Kim Yong-nam, chairman of the presidium for the Supreme People’s Assembly, along with Premier Pak Pong-ju and Museum of the Korean Revolution director Hwang Sun-hui.

Pak was among a number of attendees who are known to have been close to WPK administrative department chief Jang Song-thaek, who was executed on Dec. 12. Others included Vice Premier Ro Tu-chol and Pyongyang party secretary Mun Kyong-dok. These figures’ presence at the event could mean that they were either not involved in the recent incident, or that the purge against Jang’s camp is, at least temporarily, on hold.

Commemorative addresses were given by Kim Yong-nam, Choi, State Academy of Science president Jang Chol, and General Federation of Trade Unions central committee chief Hyon Sang-ju - representing the government, military, scientists, and the labor community, respectively.

Not attending was WPK secretary Kim Kyong-hui, Kim Jong-il’s sister and widow of Jang Song-thaek.

Before the event, Kim Jong-un’s wife Ri Sol-ju joined him to pay respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum for Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung.

The list of leaders given for the event showed little change from the first anniversary event last year, with only six new faces out of 30 attending.

Some analysts said the continuity had to do with the nature of the event, arguing that a memorial for Kim Jong-il was different in nature from an event to decide the country’s power structure or policy framework.

“Most of them were figures from the King Jong-il era,” said Chang Yong-seok, a senior researcher at the Seoul National University Institute of Peace and Unification Studies.

“Not much looks to have changed from last year,” he added. “It looks like we’re going to have wait and see a bit longer.”

pay their respects at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Dec. 17 to mark the second anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il’s death. (KCNA/Yonhap News)

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