North Koreans on Wednesday gathered in snowy streets to watch the funeral procession that carried Kim Jong Il’s body through the capitol. The procession was accompanied by military and party officials, as well as Kim’s successor, Kim Jong Un, who walked beside the hearse with one hand raised in salute.
Kim Jong Il died December 17 of a heart attack. As his funeral procession reached the palace, he received a 21-gun salute. Concerns had been raised about Kim Jong Un’s ability to take control, given his age and experience, but in the days following his father’s death he has been called by the media “great successor,” “supreme leader” and “sagacious leader,” cementing his family’s hold on power.
