North Korea holds memorial service for late leader Kim Jong Il

Seoul, Mar.25 (ANI): North Korea on Sunday held a national memorial service on the 100th day since the death of leader Kim Jong-Il.

State media reports said that the whole country was "wrapped in an atmosphere of mourning".

The Yonhap news agency reported that Kim Jong-Un, Kim's son and successor, attended the service along with senior party, state and military officials.

The KCNA news agency said that Kim Jong-un visited his father's mausoleum on the occasion.

"Kim Jong Un, the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and supreme leader of the Workers' Party of Korea and people, Sunday visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, reflecting the profound condolences of all the service personnel and the people across the country and progressive mankind, and profoundly mourned for leader Kim Jong Il on the 100th day since his demise," Yonhap quoted North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, as saying in its report.

Sunday's memorial service was taking place amid political and security-related tensions in the Korean Peninsula arising out of North Korea's plans to launch a long-range rocket to place a satellite in orbit in mid-April, thus jeopardising a February deal with Washington to get food aid in return for Pyongyang's freezing of nuclear and long-range missile activities.

The event was also taking place even as U.S. President Barak Obama and other world leaders are in Seoul to attend a biennial nuclear security summit on Monday and Tuesday.

Washington had threatened not to provide food aid to Pyongyang and warned of strained ties unless North Korea abandons its rocket launch plans. (ANI)