(16 Feb 2014) North Korea marked the 72nd anniversary of the birth of its late leader, Kim Jong Il, on Sunday.
Crowds laid flowers below giant statues of Kim Jong Il and his father, North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung, which tower over the capital Pyongyang on a hill in the centre of the city.
It is routine for North Koreans to be expected to pay their respects to their former leaders and demonstrate loyalty on any major holiday.
Signs and decorations marking Kim's birthday went up around Pyongyang on Saturday.
After his death in 2011, his birthday has been dubbed "the Day of the Shining Star" by North Korean media.
No large-scale parade or other celebration was expected so far for Sunday.
It is a holiday weekend in North Korea, with days off on Friday and Monday.
Friday 14 February was a new holiday this year, to mark the day that Kim Jong Il was awarded the title of "generalissimo" of the North Korean army.
North Korea and South Korea agreed on Friday to go ahead with reunions of family members separated by the six decades of division since the Korean War later this month.
But North Korean state media has been dominated by reports about the observance of Kim Jong Il's birth.
Current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday attended a central committee meeting to commemorate his late father's birthday, according to North Korean state television.
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