North Korean officials have pledged allegiance to their new leader Kim Jong-un ahead of the 70th birthday of his late father Kim Jong-il.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday reported that the officials held an rally on Sunday at Milyong on Mount Baekdu, which the North claims as the sacred birthplace of Kim Jong-il.

North Korean military and party officials hold the rally annually to pledge allegiance to their leader, and this year they swore their loyalty to Kim Jong-un.

At the rally, Ri Yong-ho, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army, vowed to safeguard Kim Jong-un, saying North Korean troops will serve Kim as first-line lifeguards and death-defying squads.

Ri also said the North must deal a severe blow to the United States and South Korea, adding it will end the history of division that has lasted over half a century.