Top Government officials were amongst those present for the memorial service also military officers and over a hundred thousand civilians were present.

Mourners mostly wearing black winter coats, stood in silence in the square.

Kim Jong-un, who will take over the reins of power in the reclusive state, listened as senior officials eulogised his father.

Kim Yong-nam, the number two official of the state, as the President of the Presidium of North Korea’s Supreme People’s assembly, said the leadership succession left in place by Kim Jong-il was a “precious accomplishment” for the country.

Kim Jong-un will become the third member of the family to run the unpredictable North Asian country as it enters 2012, the year that was supposed to mark its self-proclaimed transformation into a “strong and prosperous” nation.