DURING THE state broadcast, grim-faced soldiers in fur hats and green uniforms wept as snow fell, and wrapped-up bystanders bowed and cried as the passing cortege brought “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il to his resting place.
“The people are all crying tears of blood,” said one soldier among tens of thousands of mourners lining the boulevard in Pyongyang, underlining the success of the cult of personality built around Kim Jong-il. This was frantic weeping as an act of political will, a collective wailing that was eerie and disturbing. It was the only sound you could hear on the broadcast.
“As I watch the snow fall, I shed more tears as I think about the hard labour of our general,” one uniformed mourner said in what appeared to be specially prepared remarks broadcast by the KRT state broadcaster.
The most prominent mourner was Kim Jong-il’s son, Kim Jong-un, who escorted the hearse carrying his father’s coffin through the streets, one hand on the bonnet, bowing his head with its severe, short back-and-sides haircut so reminiscent of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, who founded this political dynasty.
Kim Jong-un was made a four-star general and appointed a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party last year.
Within the crowd, there were close-ups of particularly upset people wiping away tears, blowing their noses, in some cases shaking with grief. Groups of young women in military uniform were nearly hysterical with crying.
A car bearing a giant portrait of Kim Jong-il passed through the streets, making for a wintry totalitarian scene as a black limo, which looked like a US Lincoln, brought the body of the Dear Leader on his last journey. Army trucks brought large white wreaths in procession.
The snow gave the funeral a real cold war aspect, reminiscent of military parades in Moscow or East Berlin in decades past.
Kim Jong-il had taken over after the death of his father Kim Il-sung in 1994. He oversaw a famine that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and built up the North’s nuclear weapons programme before his death on December 17th at age 69.
The strong military tone of the funeral showed how important the army is in the running of North Korea, but also could suggest that Kim Jong-un, amid his moves to take over from his father, has secured the backing of the army – a crucial aspect of the succession.
At the end of the 2½-hour procession, rifles were fired 21 times as Kim Jong-un stood surrounded by senior military figures. His elder brothers, Kim Jong-nam and Kim Jong-chol, were not in evidence. This event was about Kim Jong-un assuming the leadership.
However, there were some clues as to how the new leadership will function. One figure featuring prominently was his uncle Jang Song-thaek, Kim Jong-il’s brother-in-law and a vice-chairman of the powerful National Defence Commission. He is expected to oversee the early days of Kim Jong-un’s succession.
“This funeral is an important window, because we can tell from the funeral arrangements who will be the future leaders and who will be key in the leadership structure,” said Cheng Xiaohe, vice-professor of the school of international studies at Renmin University in Beijing.
“Kim Jong-un is very young, very inexperienced. His father was groomed for power for 20 years before taking over; the son has taken over suddenly. So his future leadership is not secure, and his main job is to strengthen his power. He has been to the hall of mourning in Kumsusan palace five times to strengthen his position, to get control of the army and to get to the elders who swore allegiance to this father and grandfather,” Mr Cheng said.
Significantly, also escorting the limousine were military chief Ri Yong-ho and people’s armed forces minister Kim Yong-chun.
“It is still unknown about his ability, but it is more important to see if the army remains loyal and how he wields his power over the military,” Mr Cheng added.
Running North Korea will prove no easy task for the Swiss-educated newcomer. The country is desperately poor and struggles to feed its people, despite finding enough funding for a nuclear weapons programme.