of the regime stood solemnly on a viewing platform overlooking the square . During the ceremony , a string of top officials took to the microphone to praise Kim Jong Il 's life and reinforce Kim Jong Un 's leadership credentials . `` Kim Jong Un is the supreme leader who has inherited Kim Jong Il 's beliefs , leadership , courage and guts , '' said Kim Yong Nam , the president of the North Korean parliament . Read about the funeral for Kim Jong Il `` Kim Jong Il 's great achievements will shine forever , '' said Kim Ki Nam , a senior official in the powerful Worker 's Party . `` Following our party 's supreme leader , Kim Jong Un , we are converting our sadness to courage and we will achieve great things . '' Under Kim Jong Il , the country suffered a devastating famine even as it built up its million-strong army , expanded its arsenal of ballistic missiles and became the world 's eighth declared nuclear power . He died on December 17 , reportedly from a heart attack . News of his death , announced two days later , put
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Huge crowds assembled in Pyongyang on Thursday at a national memorial service for the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il , the second day of state-orchestrated ceremonies to mourn the dictator who died earlier this month . The authoritarian regime used a mixture of somber music , hyperbolic speeches , booming artillery fire and blaring horns to honor the man who oversaw 17 years of despotic rule in the secretive nation . The ceremony took place a day after a funeral procession for Kim spent three hours winding through the snow-laden streets of Pyongyang lined with thousands of wailing mourners . Once again , the regime placed Kim Jong Un , the son and chosen successor of Kim Jong Il , at the center of proceedings , proclaiming him the `` supreme leader '' of North Korea -- a fresh indication that the leadership transition is progressing smoothly . The footage broadcast Thursday by North Korean state television showed thick rectangular blocks of people gathered in the snowy expanse of Kim Il Sung Square -- named after Kim Jong Il 's father , the founder of North Korea . Kim Jong Un and other senior members