SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly skipped his annual New Year's visit to the mausoleum of his late grandfather and father for the second year in a row, as state media reported on Thursday. This marks a significant deviation from a tradition he had maintained nearly every year since taking power in 2011.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that government officials, party cadres, and military commanders visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on New Year's Day. However, Kim Jong-un was notably absent from the list of attendees. The report highlighted that the participants reiterated their commitment to advancing North Korea's future under Kim's leadership.

The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, located in Pyongyang, holds the embalmed bodies of Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founding leader and Kim Jong-un's grandfather, and Kim Jong-il, his father. Traditionally, Kim Jong-un has visited the mausoleum on New Year's Day, with the exceptions now including 2018 and the previous year.

Kim Jong-un's absence at the mausoleum has become more frequent in recent years, not only on New Year's Day but also on significant anniversaries such as the birthdays and death anniversaries of his father and grandfather, as well as the anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Since 2022, there have been no reports from North Korean media of Kim visiting the mausoleum for the birthdays of Kim Jong-il on February 16 or Kim Il-sung on April 15. This pattern suggests a shift in Kim Jong-un's approach to his leadership role.

An official from South Korea's unification ministry noted that Kim Jong-un has demonstrated an irregular pattern in his visits to the mausoleum since 2022, indicating an effort to establish his independent authority. "In the past, (Kim) had an inevitable tendency to rely absolutely on his ancestor leaders in the early phase of his rule, but after 10 years, he has appeared to be seeking to establish his standalone status," the official said.