Death of Kim Jong-il
Following the death of Kim Jong-il in December 2011, his body lay in state at the palace for 10 days. Following this period, on 28 December 2011, the palace served as the start and end point for a 40-kilometre (25 mi) funeral procession lasting three hours. The procession marked the first day of a two-day funeral ceremony.
Reportedly, Russian experts have been brought to the mausoleum to embalm Kim Jong-il's body for permanent display in the same manner of his father and other former Communist leaders such as Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, and Joseph Stalin (until 1961 when he was buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis).
On January 12, 2012, the North Korean government confirmed that Kim Jong-il's preserved remains will be put on permanent display in the palace and also announced plans to erect a new Kim Jong Il statue and construct "towers to his immortality."
On February 16, 2012, the 70th diamond anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong-il, the building was formally renamed the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun by a combined act of the North Korean cabinet and parliament, and the Worker's Party of Korea leadership, which was read aloud that day. A military parade by the Korean People's Army held that day in the palace grounds formally celebrated the occasion of its formal relaunch, preceded by a fireworks display.
After months of renovations, on December 17, 2012, Kim Jong-il's first death anniversary, the Palace was officially reopened to the public in due ceremony. The preserved remains of Kim Jong-il are now shown to the public, as well as several items related to him and documents made by him personally and even his personal vehicles and several of his outfits used in visits and state occasions and even his various medals and decorations, which have now been added to the now expanded collection as part of the revamp. The wide, empty foyer, formerly used in state ceremonies, was turned into a park with fountains and walkways for the enjoyment of visitors to the palace.
Read more about this topic: Kumsusan Palace Of The Sun
Famous quotes containing the word death:
“Young lover to old lover: I do not feel death in your embrace, but the adoration of the patriarchs.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)