Son ‘born of heaven’ on track to follow Kim as North Korean leader

THE body of North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong-il was laid out in a memorial palace as weeping mourners filled public plazas and state media fed a budding personality cult around his third son, hailing him as “born of heaven”.

Indicating that the leadership transition in the world’s only communist dynasty is on track, Kim Jong-un – Mr Kim’s youngest known son and successor – visited the body with top military and Workers’ Party officials yesterday and held what state media called a “solemn ceremony” in the capital, Pyongyang, as the country mourned.

The Korean people were in “deep sorrow at the loss of the benevolent father of our nation”, said Ri Ho-il, a lecturer at the Korean Revolutionary History Museum, in Pyongyang. “He defended our people’s happiness, carrying on his forced march both night and day.”

Still images aired on state TV showed the glass coffin holding Mr Kim’s body surrounded by his namesake flowers – red “kimjongilia” blossoms.

The coffin lay in a room of the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, a mausoleum where the body of his father – national founder Kim Il-sung – has been on display in a glass sarcophagus since his death in 1994.

Kim Jong-un entered the room to view his father’s body as solemn music played, state media said. He observed a moment of silence, and then circled the bier, followed by officials.

Kim Jong-il died on Saturday of a massive heart attack caused by overwork and stress, according to the North’s media. He was 69 – though some experts question the official accounts of the date and location of his birth.

Although there were no signs of unrest in Pyongyang’s sombre streets, Mr Kim’s death and the possibility of a power struggle in a country pursuing nuclear weapons and known for its secrecy and unpredictability have heightened tensions.

With the country in an 11-day period of official mourning, flags were flown at half-mast at all military units, factories, businesses, farms and public buildings. Throngs of people gathered at landmarks honouring Mr Kim. The state funeral is to be held at the Kamsusan Memorial Palace on 28 December.

North Korean officials said they would not invite foreign delegations and that no entertainment would be allowed during the mourning period.

North Korean state media have given clear indications that Kim Jong-un will succeed his father. Since Mr Kim’s death they have stepped up their lavish praise of his son, indicating an effort to strengthen a cult of personality around him similar to that of his father and – much more strongly – of Kim Il-sung.

The Korean Central News Agency described Kim Jong-un yesterday as “a great person born of heaven”, a propaganda term previously used only for his father and grandfather.

Concerns remain over whether the transition will be smooth.

Soon after Mr Kim’s death was announced, US president Barack Obama agreed with South Korean president Lee Myung-bak to closely monitor developments.

Japan’s government also said it was being vigilant for any “unexpected developments”.

South Korea’s military was put on high alert, and experts warned that the next few days could be a crucial turning point for the North, which though impoverished by economic mismanagement, has a 1.2 million-strong armed forces.