Kim Jong Un expresses rare longing for father at train firm

SEOUL, July 20 (UPI) -- Kim Jong Un provided field guidance at a Pyongyang locomotive manufacturer and said railways need to modernize – while reminding his audience that his father, Kim Jong Il, died on a train.

The North Korean leader made these and other unusual comments Sunday at Pyongyang's Kim Jong Thae Electric Locomotive Complex, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

"Every now and then, as I tour the facilities, I think of the great, difficult guidance the People's Leader [Kim Il Sung] and the General [Kim Jong Il] provided, in their lifelong dedication to people and fatherland," Kim said according to North Korea's KCNA.

"If only we had a better rail system, my heart would not be in such pain," Kim said, according to South Korean outlet No Cut News, referring to the elder Kim's death.

Kim Jong Un said he credited his father for boarding the train "day and night" to modernize North Korea.

South Korea press reported Kim's remarks were a rare expression of longing for his late father, who reportedly died of a heart attack on a running train in late 2011 while on an official business trip.

At the time of his death, however, South Korea-based experts said Kim's train had not moved, and it was unlikely he was allowed to board a train in the freezing weather owing to his bad health.

While touring the production base, Kim said North Korea needs to modernize its trains, and provided instructions for producing more electric locomotives using the "latest technology."

Kim's remarks come at a time when idolization of the former leaders may be diminishing, as Kim focuses on the aggrandizement of his own leadership.

Images of his father and biological grandfather were not included during a state musical performance last week, and footage showed a newly built airport terminal did not include a portrait of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung inside and outside the terminal.