Pyongyang, Dec 17 (IANS): North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, his family mausoleum, to mark the seventh death anniversary of his father Kim Jong-il, according to state media.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim Jong-un placed floral tributes in front of the statues of his father and his grandfather Kim Il-sung, the founder of the country, and later paid tribute to his father's embalmed body, reports Efe news.

Kim Jong-un said at an event at the palace, attended by members of the Workers' Party, that his government had adhered to the ideology of Kim Jong-il and had "resolutely struggled to carry out his last instructions for the last seven years".

The leader urged his party to fulfil its obligations and duties as Kim Jong-il's "revolutionary soldiers."

KCNA and state daily Rodong Sinmun on Monday published a photo of Kim Jong-un standing by as soldiers paid homage to the statues of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-sung.

Kim Jong-il ruled the country for 17 years, from 1996 to his death in 2011, after which his younger son Kim Jong-un became the leader.

North Korea also celebrates the birth anniversary of Kim Jong-il every year in a festival called the Day of the Shining Star.