N Koreans bow to past leaders

CROWDS of flower-bearing North Koreans yesterday streamed past statues and portraits of their leaders to pay respects on the sixth anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il.

With sombre, recorded music playing in the sub-zero air, thousands upon thousands of people marched up Pyongyang’s Mansu Hill to bow and place flowers at the feet of two giant bronze statues of Kim Jong-il and national founder Kim Il-sung, who is North Korea’s “eternal president” and Kim Jong-un’s grandfather. Kim Jong-il died on December 17, 2011.

North Koreans are expected to avoid drinking, entertainment and inappropriate displays of enjoyment on the day before and the day of the anniversary.

In the past, Pyongyang has marked such commemorations with rocket tests and military drills.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC warned a test was likely to take place.

The group said that North Korea had in fact favoured “high missile test activity” in December over the past five years.

Picture: AP People bow to the bronze statues of former North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at Mansu Hill in the country’s capital Pyongyang yesterday.