North Korea has begun two days of funeral services for late leader Kim Jong-il with a huge procession in the capital, Pyongyang.

朝鲜首都平壤正在为已故领导金正日举办为期两天的葬礼。

BBC's Chris Rogers said many details of the two-day funeral had been kept secret
Footage showed tens of thousands of soldiers with their heads bowed as a giant portrait of Mr Kim was carried slowly through the streets.

His successor and third son, Kim Jong-un, walked beside the hearse（灵车） , images from state television showed.

Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack on 17 December, aged¹ 69, state media said.

He has been lying in state since then.

New line-up

No schedule was released ahead of the commemorations and no foreign delegations² are attending.

But observers expected the ceremonies to echo the displays of pomp（盛况，浮华） and military might that marked the death of Mr Kim's father, Kim Il-sung, in 1994.

Kim Jong-un - who is thought to be in his late 20s and who has little political experience - was shown weeping beside the hearse as it drove through the snowy capital.

He was accompanied by his uncle, Chang Song-taek, who is expected to be a key player as the younger Kim consolidates³（巩固，联合） power.

Ri Yong-ho, the army chief, also accompanied the hearse as it drove past ranks of troops. Footage also showed crowds of weeping mourners.

Foreign diplomats⁴ were told to gather at a stadium to be taken to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace - where Mr Kim has been lying in state - to see the hearse pass by.

Observers will be keenly watching the line-up over the two-day funeral to see which officials are in prominent positions.

Kim Jong-il was in the process of formalising Kim Jong-un as his successor when he died but the transition was not complete, leaving regional neighbours fearful of a power struggle in the nuclear-armed pariah⁵（贱民） state.

In the week since Mr Kim died, state media has called Kim Jong-un the "Great Successor" and referred to him as the leader of the military and the party.

Commemorations are expected to continue on Thursday, with a three-minute silence at noon local time, followed by trains and ships sounding horns. The national memorial service will then begin.

The inter-Korean Kaesong industrial park has been closed for two days for the mourning following a North Korean request, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports.