Pyongyang, North Korea (CNN) -- North Korea's increasingly reclusive leader, Kim Jong Il, put in a rare appearance at Arirang celebrations in Pyongyang on Saturday, along with his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.
The United States believes that Kim Jong Un has been tapped to replace his ailing father as North Korea's leader.
The Arirang celebration in Pyongyang's May Day Stadium is a massive event that marks the creation of the 65th anniversary of the Peoples' Workers Party, and features hundreds of gymnastics and dance performances. Participants spend up to eight hours a day training and preparing for the occasion.
Video of the event showed performers dancing enthusiastically for the crowd in the packed stadium. Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un could be seen sitting in a private box removed from the masses, flanked by military officials.
Chinese President Hu Jintao sent Kim Jong Il a congratulatory message Saturday, commending the Peoples' Workers Party for "overcoming difficulties and risks and arduously struggling to continuously make eye-catching achievements in its socialist revolution and construction cause," China's state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Hu as saying.
CNN
