A man looks at an extra edition of a South Korean newspaper reporting the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-ilReuters
A man looks at an extra edition of a South Korean newspaper reporting the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-ilReutersStudents of Pyongyang Secondary School No 1 gather to mourn the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in PyongyangReutersNorth Korean women take flowers to the North Korea embassy in BeijingReutersA man cries over the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in the capital, PyongyangReutersHeads bowed, Pyongyang residents grieve over their dead leaderReutersA North Korean woman sobs in the streetReutersPyongyang residents react to news of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-ilReutersExtraordinary scenes of grieving for Kim Jong-il on the streets of North Korean capital, PyongyangReutersStaff lower the North Korean flag on the embassy roof in Beijing, December 19, 2011ReutersA man holds flowers to hide his face from photographers as he arrives at the North Korea embassy, to mourn the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-ilReutersGrieving North KoreansReutersNorth Koreans gather in front of a monument in a square in Pyongyang for communal mourningReutersResidents of Pyongyang humble themselves in their anguishReuters
The death of North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-il, has prompted mass outpourings of grief across the country.
The 69-year-old dictator died of a heart ailment while on a train trip, state media reported.
There have been concerns over the succession of Kim Jong-un, Jong-il's third son, and the potential for instability in the hermit state. South Korea, which has a long history of animosity with its northern neighbour, has placed its military on emergency alert, and Japan has reportedly set up a special panel to monitor the situation in the North.
