Kim Jong Un’s last observed appearance was his attendance on the last day of the Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea on May 9
Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) attended a mass rally and parade in Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) Square on May 10 (Tuesday). He was shadowed by Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Deputy Department Director and his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong (Kim Yo’-cho’ng) and accompanied by members of the WPK Political Bureau Presidium (standing committee). Attending the rally from the parade review platform were WPK Political Bureau members and alternate members, senior officials and chief functionaries of the WPK, Korean People’s Army [KPA], DPRK Government and chairman and chairwomen of WPK provincial committees along with Kim Yong Dae (Chairman of the Korean Social Democratic Party Central Committee), Yun Jong Ho (Vice Chairman of the Ch’o’ndoist Ch’o’ngu Party Central Committee), heads of delegations from the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front, the General Association of Koreans in China, Chosen Soren (Chongryo’n; General Association of Korean Residents in Japan), 7th Party Congress participants, various officials from the WPK, KPA, DPRK Government, workers’ and social organizations and various foreign guests.
Upon arriving on the parade review platform, members of the Korean Children’s Union presented bouquets of flowers to Kim Jong Un and members of the WPK Political Bureau. Supreme People’s Assembly Presidium President Kim Yong Nam delivered a speech which noted that the “Seventh Congress of the WPK was political event to be specially recorded in the history of the WPK and the DPRK” and said that “the congress elected Kim Jong Un as chairman of the WPK, reflecting the unanimous will and desire of the whole party, the entire army and all the people. Kim Jong Un’s election as chairman of the WPK was an express of the intense loyalty and absolute trust of the army and people of the DPRK in him and a great revolutionary event guaranteeing the far-sighted plan of the party and the revolution, the country and the nation.”
Kim Yong Nam extended “the greatest glory and warmest congratulations to Kim Jong Un upon his election…reflecting the unanimous feelings of all party members, service personnel and people across the country” and, on behalf of the WPK Central Committee, “the warmest thanks to all party members, service personnel and people for having concluded the 70-day campaign of loyalty with victory and glorified the Party Congress as a great revolutionary jubilee.” Kim Yong Nam indicated that Jong Un’s report at the Party Congress “laid down the strategic line and set forth overall tasks for completing the cause of socialism of Chuch’e under the uplifted banner of modeling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism” and underlined “the need for all party members, officials, and other people to turn out in the struggle to carry out the decision made by the 7th Congress of the WPK with same vim and vigor as they displayed in the 70-day campaign of loyalty.”
After Kim Yong Nam’s speech, the parade began with “columns of the public procession pass[ing] the square brimming over with all service personnel and people’s great emotion and joy of having elected Kim Jong Un chairman of the WPK at its Seventh Congress.” According to KCNA, “all the participants extended the greatest glory and warmest thanks to him who glorified the Seventh Congress of the WPK as the grand political festival to be specially recorded in the party history.” Jong Un spent some of the speech and parade engaged in conversation with the other WPK Political Bureau Presidium Members: Kim Yong Nam DPRK Premier Pak Pong Ju, KPA General Political Department Director Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So and WPK Vice Chairman Choe Ryong Hae and waved at the parade participants.
Parade floats and ornate character displays showing KIS, KJI and Jong Un’s names and slogans “Devotedly Defending the Leader,” “Single-minded Unity” along with the WPK and DPRK flags passed through Kim Il Sung Square. The KPA band performed, lining up in synchornized formations to depict the WPK’s logo and the character “Victory” while playing the tune “Ode to General Kim Jong Un.” When the parade finished, Jong Un walked along the parade review stand accompanied by the WPK Political Bureau Presidium and waved at those in attendance.
Later the same day, celebratory banquets of delegates to the 7th Party Congress were held at Moknan House (the WPK Central Committee’s banquet hall), the People’s Palace of Culture, Oknyu Restaurant, Chongnyo Restaurant, the Koryo Hotel, the Yanggakdo Hotel and other venues. Attending the banquets were WPK Political Bureau Members and Alternates, other leading WPK, KPA and DPRK Government senior officials, representatives of the Korean Social Democratic and Ch’o’ndoist Ch’o’ngu Parties and 7th Party Congress participants.
Kim Yong Nam (SPA Presidium President), Pak Pong Ju (DPRK Premier), Choe Ryong Hae (WPK Vice Chairman for Workers’ and Social Organizations), Choe T’ae Bok (WPK Vice Chairman for Science and Education), General Pak Yong Sik (Minister of the People’s Armed Forces), Kim Pyong Hae (WPK Vice Chairman and Director of Cadres’ Affairs), O Su Yong (WPK Vice Chairman and Director of Light Industry), Yang Hyong Sop (Vice President of the SPA Presidium) and General Kim Won Hong (Minister of State Security) spoke at the banquets. According to KCNA, they said that “all the service personnel and people are full of great joy of having elected the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un as chairman of the WPK at its 7th Congress, the congress of victory and glory to be specially recorded in the history of the great party of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism”
The banquet speakers extended the “the noblest tribute to President Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) and leader Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il) and the greatest glory to Kim Jong Un, reflecting the warm loyalty of all the party members, service personnel and other people” noted that the “the congress was a significant one that provided a fresh landmark in the struggle of our party, army and people to accomplish the socialist cause of Chuch’e under the uplifted banner of modeling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism and guaranteed the eternal future of the Korean revolution.” According to KCNA, the banquet speakers said:
When we take hold on the revolutionary line set forth by Kim Jong Un at the historic party congress, the independent dream and ideal of the people will be translated into reality and the country will throw its rays as the powerful country to be looked up by the world in the near future.
Let us thoroughly implement the tasks set forth at the party congress by making steady advance and continued innovations with the same spirit and stamina with which they glorified the 7th Congress of the WPK with special events of the national history and great victory and thus effecting a fresh turn in building a thriving socialist power.
During the evening of May 10, an evening celebration of the 7th Party Congress took place in Kim Il Sung Square. Attending the celebration were Kim Yong Nam, Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So, Pak Pong Ju, Choe Ryong Hae, Kim Ki Nam (WPK Vice Chairman and Director of Propaganda and Agitation [publicity and information]), Choe T’ae Bok (WPK Vice Chairman of Science and Education), Ri Su Yong (WPK Vice Chairman of International Affairs), Kim Pyong Hae (WPK Vice Chairman and Director of Cadres’ Affairs), O Su Yong (WPK Vice Chairman and Director of Light Industry), Kwak Pom Gi (WPK Vice Chairman and Director of Planning and Finance), Ro Tu Chol (DPRK Vice Premier and State Planning Commission Chairman), Kim Yong Chol (WPK Vice Chairman and Director of National Intelligence and the United Front), Ri Man Gon (WPK Vice Chairman and Director of Military and Munitions [machine-building] Industries) and other senior WPK, KPA and DPRK Government officials along with chief functionaries and leading officials of national institutions and government ministries, KPA and Korean People’s Internal Security Forces command staff, foreign delegations and other invited guests.
The celebrations began with a music program, including “Glory to Our Great Party” and students dancing eventually going into a formation of a floral basket.” The music continued with “We Will Go to Mt. Paektu,” “We’ll Follow Our Party forever” and other tunes synchronized to a fireworks display over the Taedong River. Then a torchlight parade of Kim Il Sung Youth League members and Youth Shock Brigade laborers took place, with the participants using their torches to form slogans and other shapes. According to KCNA, they “fully showed the picture of the single-minded unity of youth rank, united close around the great party, which is vigorously advancing along the road of independence, So’ngun (military-first) and socialism in the spirit of heroic youths of Mt. Paektu.” The fireworks displays continued. According to KCNA the evening celebration “clearly demonstrated the immutable faith and will of the five million young vanguard members determined to creditably discharge their honorable mission and duty as reserve forces, advancing group and wing of the WPK and as the masters of the great Paektusan (Mt. Paektu) youth power in carrying out the cause of building a thriving socialist nation under the revolutionary banner of the great Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, rallied close around Marshal Kim Jong Un.”