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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| North Korea leader lies in state | North Korea leader lies in state |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Kim Jong-il's son and heir, Kim Jong-un, and senior officials have been paying their last respects to the late North Korean leader whose body lies in state ahead of his funeral next week. | |
| Kim Jong-il died on Saturday of a heart attack caused by overwork and stress at the age of 69, state media said. | Kim Jong-il died on Saturday of a heart attack caused by overwork and stress at the age of 69, state media said. |
| Regional powers have voiced fears over the nuclear country's future course. | |
| The US has called on North Korea to pursue a "path of peace". It has promised to defend regional allies. | |
| Kim Jong-il, who had been in power since the death of father Kim Il-sung in 1994, will be buried on 28 December. | |
| The country has entered an 11-day period of official mourning, with flags being flown at half-mast at all military bases, factories, businesses, farms and public buildings. | |
| Kim Jong-il's body is in a room of the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, a mausoleum where Kim Il-sung's embalmed body has been on display in a glass sarcophagus since 1994. | |
| The streets of Pyongyang are quiet, but throngs of people have gathered at landmarks honouring Mr Kim, the Associated Press news agency reports. | |
| North Korean state media said its people continued to grieve late into the night. | North Korean state media said its people continued to grieve late into the night. |
| How much of this is genuine rather than highly choreographed propaganda is difficult to know, says the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul. | How much of this is genuine rather than highly choreographed propaganda is difficult to know, says the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul. |
| Kim Jong-il had been in the process of formalising his third son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor. | Kim Jong-il had been in the process of formalising his third son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor. |
| But the transition had not been completed and analysts fear Mr Kim's death could trigger a period of instability in the internationally isolated nuclear-armed state. | But the transition had not been completed and analysts fear Mr Kim's death could trigger a period of instability in the internationally isolated nuclear-armed state. |
| The worry is that Kim Jong-un, less than 30 years old and a complete unknown quantity, may lack the political skill to hang on to power. A power struggle with other family members or the military elite is a worrying possibility, our correspondent says. | |
| Kim Jong-un was first introduced in public as Kim Jong-il's earmarked successor in September 2010. | Kim Jong-un was first introduced in public as Kim Jong-il's earmarked successor in September 2010. |
| Regional worries | Regional worries |
| US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US was ready to help the North Korean people and create lasting security on the Korean peninsula. | |
| Around the region, countries have been holding urgent talks about what the implications of Mr Kim's death might be. | Around the region, countries have been holding urgent talks about what the implications of Mr Kim's death might be. |
| South Korea, whose military has been put on alert in the wake of Mr Kim's death, has sent its condolences to the North Korean people. | |
| Its failure to express condolences after the death of Kim Il-sung in 1994 affected relations between the two states for years. | |
| South Korea says no official delegation will be travelling from Seoul to Pyongyang to pay their respects, but that a limited number of prominent people would be allowed to visit the North. | |
| North Korean officials have said they will not invite foreign delegations, AP reports. | |
| The South Korea government has also increased its alert level against possible cyber attacks from Pyongyang. | |
| But it says it will reconsider a plan to display Christmas lights near the border - something that angers North Korea. | But it says it will reconsider a plan to display Christmas lights near the border - something that angers North Korea. |
| Close ally | |
| Chinese President Hu Jintao, meanwhile, has visited the North Korean embassy in Beijing to offer his condolences. | |
| China has said it has held talks over the phone with the US and South Korea on the importance of ensuring security on the Korean peninsula, AP reports. | |
| Late on Monday, the Chinese foreign minister also met the North Korean envoy in Beijing, the agency reported. | Late on Monday, the Chinese foreign minister also met the North Korean envoy in Beijing, the agency reported. |
| China is North Korea's closest ally and its biggest trading partner. | China is North Korea's closest ally and its biggest trading partner. |
| It is keen to avoid a power struggle that could bring further instability to the region or any kind of collapse that would send a tide of North Korean refugees across its border. | It is keen to avoid a power struggle that could bring further instability to the region or any kind of collapse that would send a tide of North Korean refugees across its border. |
| Kim Jong-un, hailed by North Korean media as the "Great Successor", is believed to have visited China on at least one occasion in recent months. | Kim Jong-un, hailed by North Korean media as the "Great Successor", is believed to have visited China on at least one occasion in recent months. |