North Koreas Kim Jong Un marks father Kim Jong Ils 10 death anniversary

North Korea's Kim Jong Un was seen in a black leather coat with hundreds of officials at a ceremony outside the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in the capital, Pyongyang.

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un on Friday marked the 10th anniversary of the death of his father Kim Jong Il, as cars, trains and ships blew their horns and national flags were lowered to half-staff to commemorate the occasion.

State television broadcasts showed Kim Jong Un in a black leather coat with hundreds of officials at a ceremony outside the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in the capital, Pyongyang, where the bodies of his father Kim Jong Il and his grandfather, North Korea's founding leader, Kim Il Sung, lie in state under glass.

They also showed people observing several moments of silence and bowing before portraits and statues of Kim Jong Il as well as air-raid sirens blaring and car horns honking.

As siren blared for three minutes, North Koreans fell silent and bowed in respect for Kim Jong Il and masses of people climbed Pyongyang’s Mansu Hill to lay flowers and bow before giant statues of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.

According to the Associated Press, senior North Korean official Choe Ryong Hae called Kim Jong Il “the parent of our people” who built up the potentials for the North’s military and economic might. Choe also said North Korea's “strategic status” has been boosted under Kim Jong Un and urged the public to "faithfully uphold” his leadership.

The North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper published articles venerating Kim Jong Il and calling for greater unity behind Kim Jong Un.

“Our great general (Kim Jong Il) went through so much hardship, pushing his way along such an arduous path, to build a paradise here, achieving what the people want,” Pyongyang resident Won Jong Rim also told the Associated Press Television News.

Kim Jong Il ruled North Korea for 17 years until his death on December 17, 2011, which was not reported until two days later. North Korea suffered famine under Kim Jong Il in the 1990s that killed hundreds of thousands of people and international isolation over his nuclear ambitions.

Kim Jong Un, who is 10 years into his rule, is also 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 have also added to the country’s problems.