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NK leader pays tribute to late father, state founder on war anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday paid tribute to his late father and grandfather to mark the 62nd anniversary of what it claims is its victory in the 1950-53 Korean War, the North's media said.

Accompanied by senior military officials, the North's young leader visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun at midnight where the embalmed bodies of his father, Kim Jong-il, and grandfather Kim Il-sung lie in state, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The armistice that ended the Korean War was signed on July 27, 1953, leaving South and North Korea technically in a state of war.

The North has designated the date as "Victory Day" to celebrate what it claims is its victory against the United States during the war.

"The participants vowed to achieve national reunification, a long-cherished wish by the two leaders, by winning a war against U.S. imperialists," the KCNA said.

On Saturday, Kim urged young North Koreans to inherit the spirit of defending their country shown by fallen soldiers and war veterans at the 4th National Conference of War Veterans in Pyongyang.

Kim's move to stress patriotism seems to be aimed at solidifying unity from the old generation to the younger one and easing jitters stemming from Kim's reign of terror, experts say.

He also offered a rare show of respect to Chinese veterans as they helped North Korea in the Korean War.

It is unusual for Kim to extend respect to Chinese veterans as the North's relations with China have been seriously strained following the North's nuclear test in 2013. (Yonhap)