Kim rides horse to a sacred NKorean peak

North Korean leader Kim has often visited the country's sacred Mount Paektu, the highest point on the Korean Peninsula, before taking major decisions such as the 2013 execution of his powerful uncle and his 2018 entrance into diplomacy with Seoul and Washington.

Mount Paektu: Pyongyang's state media on Wednesday released photos showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un riding a white horse to climb the country's sacred Mount Paektu.

Kim has often visited the mountain, the highest point on the Korean Peninsula, before taking major decisions including the 2013 execution of his powerful uncle and his 2018 entrance into diplomacy with Seoul and Washington.

North Korean documents reveal that Kim's grandfather and national founder Kim Il Sung had an anti-Japan guerrilla base on the slopes of Paektu during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

The official biography of Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, says the second-generation leader was born on Paektu when a double rainbow filled the skies.

The white horse is also a propaganda symbol for the Kim family who has ruled North Korea for seven decades with a strong personality cult surrounding family members.

State media have occasionally shown Kim, his sister and his father riding white horses.

Interestingly, the symbolism goes back to Kim Il Sung, who according to the North's official narrative, rode a white horse while fighting against Japanese colonial rulers.

The official Korean Central News Agency also said that Kim visited nearby construction sites in Samjiyon County and complained about US-led UN sanctions imposed on his country because of its nuclear programs.