North Koreans remember death of president

North Koreans have commemorated the 15th anniversary of the death of Kim Il-Sung, the country's founder and eternal president.

State TV showed people laying flowers at and bowing to the huge statue of Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang. The country's 'great leader' died of a heart failure on July 8th 1994, aged 82 and scenes of mass, hysterical mourning followed. The founder of the isolated nation is still the centre of an intense personality cult and is a greatly revered figure. Resident of Pyongyang, Hwang In San said "The Great Leader, President Kim Il Sung, is always alive, not only in the hearts of our people, but also in the minds of people all over the world,". When Kim Il-Sung died 15 years ago North Koreans were seen weeping in the streets of Pyongyang and other cities across the country and news readers cried openly as they delivered the news of their leader's death.


The nation's current leader, Kim Jong-Il, made a rare public appearance at his father's memorial ceremony, held in Kumsusan Memorial Palace, Pyongyang, where Kim Il Sung's embalmed body lies. Kim Jong-Il is the de facto leader after his father's death and is referred to as the 'dear leader'. Whilst he assumed power after his death, he never adopted the title of president and this position has been officially dissolved.

Reports say that 67 year old Kim Jong-Il suffered a stroke last year, intensifying the interest in who will succeed him as the next leader of the isolated dictatorship. The country has recently received international condemnation for its nuclear and missile tests and has been accused for attempting destabilising the region.