N Korea marks death of Kim Jong-il one year on

On the one-year anniversary of the death of North Korea’s Kim Jong-il, there has been a day of mourning for the former leader. His son, and current leader, Kim Jong-un, watched over a ceremony to commemorate the death of his father, who passed away after more than 17 years in power. A giant mausoleum called Kumsusan Palace of the Sun has been renovated in honour of Kim Jong-il, and his father – the state’s first leader, Kim Il Sung. A minute of silence was observed across the country. The head of North Korea’s military described the recent controversial missile launch as having paraded the two dead leaders “proudly in front of the whole world”. Described by Pyongyang as operation to put a satellite into orbit, the launch has been criticised by the international community, with many accusing North Korea of carrying out a disguised ballistic missile test.