Kim Jong-un has marked the birthday of his late father with a 'high tribute' at the family mausoleum.
The North Korean dictator arrived with a number of his top officials for the ceremony to remember former leader Kim Jong-il at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in the capital Pyongyang.
State news stated he 'entered the hall of immortality' and 'paid a deep homage and made a bow' at the palace, which is also the mausoleum for the hermit state's founder, Kim Il-sun.
As stated by South Korea's Yonhap news one photo of high-rank party officials shows a reappearance of Hwang Pyong-so, who was expelled from Kim's inner circle for his 'impure attitude'.
Kim Jong-un (front, centre) has marked the birthday of his late father with a 'high tribute' at the family mausoleum in Pyongyang alongside high-ranking officials
As stated by South Korea's Yonhap news one photo of high-rank party officials shows a reappearance of Hwang Pyong-so (circled), who was expelled from Kim's inner circle for his 'impure attitude'
A Seoul official stated that given his position in the photo, Hwang seems to have been reinstated as a vice-director level official for the party.
Kim's former confidante vanished as part of a purge of senior military figures last year during a bid by the dictator to reduce the influence of the army.
Hwang, the head of the military's powerful General Political Bureau, was once seen as the second-most powerful man in the secretive country.
But prior to today, he was last seen in public in early October at a gymnastics gala sparking fears he may no longer be alive.
State news stated Kim 'entered the hall of immortality' and 'paid a deep homage and made a bow' at the palace, which is also the mausoleum for the hermit state's founder, Kim Il-sun
Kim Jong-un (right) has marked the 76th anniversary of his father Kim Jong-Il (left) at a ceremony in Pyongyang
Since taking power in 2011, North Korea's young leader has brutally removed anyone perceived as a potential challenge to his authority, including ordering the execution of family members.
Hwang was reportedly sentenced to a prison camp so he could undergo 'ideological education'.
Today, on the 76th anniversary of Kim Jong-il's birthday, the Rodong Sinmun North Korean newspaper lauded the late dictator's role in bolstering the country's military power.
'The republic's victory of building a state nuclear force is part of (Kim Jong-il's) revolutionary accomplishment,' the newspaper stated in a column.