North Korea staged a fittingly over-the-top state funeral for its leader in front of tens of thousands of wailing citizens and soldiers. Mourners lined the capital city’s wide boulevards, howling in grief and stamping their feet in a dramatic show of sorrow. Click below to read the rest of the story.
A black limousine carrying a billboard-size portrait of Kim Jong Il kicked off the three-hour farewell for the shadowy nation’s “Supreme Commander.â€
North Korea’s next leader, Kim Jong Un, wept as he walked alongside his father’s hearse on the snowy streets of Pyongyang.
Mourners lined the capital city’s wide boulevards, howling in grief and stamping their feet in a dramatic show of sorrow.
Draped over buildings were giant banners that read “Hail Comrade Kim Jong Il! and “Great Leader Kim Jong Il is Immortal!â€
At the end of the procession, four columns of rifle-toting soldiers fired 21 times. Kim Jong Un stood ramrod straight, flanked by top political and military leaders. As goose-stepping soldiers marched by, Kim saluted.
The motorcade, bolstered by dozens of military vehicles, traveled 25 miles through the city.
At times, the grief-stricken crowds surged forward, forcing soldiers to hold them back.
State television also showed images of crisply dressed soldiers sobbing uncontrollably.
“Seeing this white snow fall has made me think of the general’s efforts and this brings tears to my eyes,†a weeping female soldier named Seo Ju-rim told state television, according to Reuters.
That Kim Jong Il controlled the weather is one of the many myths that helped the kooky dictator hold power for nearly two decades even though his people starved.
“I wished it was a dream. How can this be true,†sobbed one middle-aged woman named Kim, according to Reuters.
“How can anything like this ever happen in the world?â€
Experts said the funeral was carefully choreographed to build support for Kim Jong Il’s inexperienced son, who is believed to be 28 or 29 years old.
North Korea’s propaganda apparatus is working hard “to counter the public’s perception that the new leader is a spoiled child of privilege,†said Brian Myers, a professor at Dongseo University in Busan, South Korea.
“Having Kim Jong Un trudge mournfully next to the hearse in terrible weather was a very clever move.â€
The poverty-stricken nation now turns to Thursday’s memorial ceremony. Along with tributes to Kim Jong Il, there will be increased attention paid to his baby-faced successor.
“The message will be clear: Kim Jong Un now leads the country and there is no alternative,†said Kim Yeon-su, a North Korea expert at the state-run Korea National Defense University in South Korea.
