Seoul, Apr 16 (IANS): North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum of his late grandfather and the country's founder, Kim Il-sung, on the occasion of the latter's birth anniversary, state media reported on Friday.

In its report Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Thursday to mark Kim Il-sung's 109th birth anniversary.

The mausoleum is where the bodies of his late grandfather and father, Kim Jong-il lie in state, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"Kim Jong-un, together with his wife, paid high tribute to the statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il and extended the best wishes of immortality at the halls where the President and the Chairman lie in state," the KCNA said.

The birth anniversary, referred to in the North as the 'Day of the Sun', is the country's biggest national holiday marked by large-scale cultural and sports events.

Since taking office in late 2011, Kim Jong-un had paid tribute to the mausoleum every year to mark the anniversary, but he skipped a trip last year amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, prompting speculation about his health.

Accompanying Kim Jong-un on Thursday's visit were his top aides, including Kim Yo-jong, his younger sister; Jo Yong-won, secretary for Organisational Affairs of the party's Central Committee; and Pak Jong-chon, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, the KCNA said.