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Kim Jong Il’s body put on display in North Korea

THIS STORY APPEARED IN

December 21, 2011

The body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was displayed in a glass coffin… (KNS/AFP/Getty Images )

PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea displayed the body of ruler Kim Jong Il in a glass coffin surrounded by red flowers today, and his young heir was one of the first to pay respects — a strong indication that a smooth leadership transition was under way.

As the country mourned for a second day with high-level visits to Kim’s body at a memorial palace and public gatherings of weeping citizens, state media fed a budding personality cult around his youngest known son and anointed heir, Kim Jong Un, hailing him as a ‘‘lighthouse of hope.’’

Kim’s body was wrapped in red cloth and surrounded by blossoms of his namesake flowers, red ‘‘kimjongilia.’’ As solemn music played, Kim Jong Un — believed to be in his late 20s — entered the hall to view his father’s bier, surrounded by military honor guards. He observed a moment of solemn silence, then circled the bier, followed by other officials.

Outside one of the capital’s main performance centers, mourners carried wreaths and flowers toward a portrait of Kim Jong Il. Groups were allowed to grieve in front of the portrait for a few minutes at a time.

‘‘We will change today’s sorrow into strength and courage and work harder for a powerful and prosperous nation, as our general wanted, under the leadership of the new General Kim Jong Un,’’ U Son Hui, a Pyongyang resident, told The Associated Press.

The announcement Monday of Kim’s death over the weekend raised acute concerns in the region over the possibility of a power struggle between the untested son and rivals, in a country pursuing nuclear weapons and known for its unpredictability and secrecy.

But there have been no signs of unrest or discord in Pyongyang’s somber streets.

With the country in an 11-day period of official mourning, flags were flown at half-staff at all military units, factories, businesses, farms and public buildings. The streets of Pyongyang were quiet, but throngs of people gathered at landmarks honoring Kim.

Kim’s bier was decorated by a wreath from Kim Jong Un along with various medals and orders. The body was laid out in the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, a mausoleum where the embalmed body of Kim’s father — national founder Kim Il Sung — has been on display in a glass sarcophagus since his death in 1994.

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