|
Kim
Jong Il, the second of the Kim family dynasty, ruled North Korea
for 17 years until his death on Dec. 17, 2011. State media at
the time did not report his death until two days later.
On Friday, state television broadcasts showed people observing
several moments of silence and bowing before portraits and
statues of Kim Jong Il. Other footage showed air-raid sirens
blaring and car horns honking.
His son, leader Kim Jong Un, was shown with hundreds of
officials at a ceremony outside the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun
in the capital, Pyongyang, where the bodies of Kim Jong Il and
his father, North Korea's founding leader, Kim Il Sung, lie in
state under glass.
Clad in a black leather coat, Kim Jong Un stood sombrely beneath
a large red banner emblazoned with an image of his father, but
was not shown speaking.
Newspapers - all tightly controlled by the North Korean
government - published articles praising Kim Jong Il.
"He is, indeed, the greatest man and the great sage of the
revolution all the people on this land follow with their deep
affection and sincerity," the ruling party's Rodong Sinmun paper
wrote.
Under Kim Jong Il, North Korea suffered widespread famine in the
1990s, and on coming to power, his son vowed citizens would
never have to tighten their belts again.
Ten years into his rule, however, Kim Jong Un is facing
widespread economic problems caused by international sanctions
imposed over North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile
programmes, natural disasters, and self-imposed anti-pandemic
border lockdowns that have cut trade to a trickle.
(Additional reporting by Yeni Seo; Editing by Robert Birsel)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
