lucy williamson has this report from seoul. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the funeral of perhaps the world's most secretive leader broadcast live on north korean tv. a rare glimpse into a country usually shrouded from view. this even outside kim jong il's final resting place, a slow procession in pyongyang, all signs that stability and control are crucial now. whatever the private millions of the crowds of mourners, this is a moment of great uncertainty. kim jong il was great for almost 20 years as a demigod and protector of the nation. his sudden death has left a vacuum which this man must fill. his youngest son, standing today between the country's elderly power brokers. he is not yet 30 years old, untried, and largely unknown. standing between the lines of political generals and military elite. which of these men will he choose to rule, and will he have a choice? lucy williamson, bbc news, seoul. >> she said the scenes of hysteria in pyongyang were prompted certainly by grief and also probably by fear of the death of an almost mythical figure. >> north korea is not a unified s

lucy williamson is in seoul. how was this memorial service covered in south korea? was it on the national broadcaster? >> i think very few south koreans have seen the pictures we have seen. they are extraordinary. the image of this very young man, very inexperienced, unknown to most of the population, standing in front of this huge show of force, soldiers and civilians covering the main square in p'yongyang with military precision. it is now all of this that he has to preside over. part of the point of the memorial service was so that all of the senior members of the government, the military, and the political leaders could line up and pledged their support to this young man, who is so untested. >> little may be known about him. little more is known about those advising him. presumably, they will have an important role. he is not 30 years old. >> the only has a year or so to introduce himself to the people and try to carve out a space in the government of the country. one figure that has been very prominent since before his father died is his uncle, who we are told

lucy williamson, our correspondent, is in the south korean capital, seoul. do we know how this day is going to end? his unofficial burial going to take place? yesterday, there was a three hour-long procession through the streets of p'yongyang. then we have this continuation today, thursday in north korea. >> he was laid to rest yesterday, next to his father. today is quite different. extraordinary pictures which i hope you are seeing now. a really impressive feat of human engineering, the able to get perhaps a million people together in the central square of p'yongyang for this last memorial, last act of memorial. >> this is what kim jong il's father also used to do, the former leader. he had these very big set pieces to show the people, really the north koreans themselves, how strong the government was and what it could do to mobilize people. >> absolutely. if you wanted any example, any proof that north korea was still in safe hands, that it could still mobilize these orchestrated, well disciplined lines of people, here it is. it is proof they can still do

lucy williamson, "bbc news," south korea. >> this is "bbc world news." i'm david eads, and these are the headlines. speaking in the german parliament, chancellor merkle calls for fiscal unity and says solving the crisis will take years. and aung san suu kyi says she's confident about talks with burma after talking to hillary clinton. discussing the situation in syria, its human rights council is to discuss evidence that the security forces committed crimes against humanity. it follows a report that accuses a them of a shoot to kill policy. addressing the meeting the high commissioner called on the international community to come together to help protect the syrian people. >> the syrian authorities continue ruthless oppression, which if not stopped now can drive the country into a full fledged drivel war. in light of the failure to protect the citizens, the international community needs to take you are intelligent measures to protect the citizens. >> folks in geneva following those addresses there's obviously little the council itself can do. any idea of

lucy williamson has this report from south korea. >> the funeral of the most secretive leader, broadcast live on north korean tv. a glimpse into a country usually shrouded from view. the slow funeral procession through the streets of pyongyang, a sign that stability is crucial now. whatever the private feelings of the crowds that line the path, this is a moment of uncertainty for this nuclear-armed state. kim jong-il was portrayed as a demigod for 20 years, a fatherly face and a protector. his death has left a vacuum which this man must fail. his youngest son, standing between the elderly power brokers. he is not yet 30 years old. standing between the lines of military generals, he will depend on his family ties to secure his position. which of these men will he rule with? will he have a choice? >> let's speak to leucine now who is in south korea. that hysteria, built on the mythical status of their leader or fear? >> difficult to tell. probably a mixture of both. north korea is not unified. it holds different experiences depending on where you live and who you are. if you are in pyongya

lucy williamson reports from south korea that the broadcasts have taken on an almost supernatural tone. >> north koreans are used to hyperbole in the nightly news, beginning every night with a song about the magical qualities of their leader's birthplace, the hospital he was said to be going, and the mountain where it stands. since his death, strange natural phenomena appeared to have increased across the country. in the past week, north koreans have reportedly seen a giant like of ice cracking in half, a red glow covering the mountain where their leaders -- leader was going, and magpie's appearing together in grief, according to a party official. >> we cannot put this down to just a natural phenomenon. not just the world, but animals cannot forget our dear leader. >> along with the army, the media is the institution most responsible for keeping leaders in power, a myth-making factory focused around the ruling family. that is for most of its audience their only source of news. so highly controlled, says this former north-caribbean state hardest that only a small amount of people were a

our correspondent in the south korean capital, seoul, lucy williamson, gives a very dramatic account of what's happened. >> they say that the captain of this chinese boat, whode been apprehended by two of the coast guards, broke a window and took shards of the glass and stabbed two of the coast guard with them. one of them, as you said, died of his injuries, the other, we believe, has a stomach wound. he's being treated in hospital at the port. >> and obviously there have been tensions over this area before, haven't there? >> yes, this is the water between china and the korean peninsula. it's very rich in crabs, anchovies, other kinds of fish. and south korea has complained that chinese fishing boats are illegally crossing into those waters, fishing in those waters, more and more, as you mentioned, there's a figure of 430 boats that have been accosted this year. and after this particular incident, which has been a particularly violent incident, the south korean government has reportedly asked china to clamp down on this kind of activity. >> a report by the conservation group, the w.w

lucy williamsno has this report. -- williamson has this report. >> to of the most prominent families crossing the cold war frontier to pay their respects. the only south koreans allowed to do so. what is the widow of south korea's best known president, father of the sunshine policy of engagement with north korea. and head of one of the biggest companies and a key investor in the communist state. the families have received condolences in the past. the visit is purely personal. south korea is treading a difficult path. >> will allow the civilian groups visit for north-south relations. >> it has invited south koreans to pay their respects in person. it will have grave implications. behind the scenes of a nation in mourning, the political machine is grinding on. >> his youngest son is gradually assuming the title the as father left behind. he has been named by state media has supreme military commander had has been given a top job in the ruling party. the question is that whether a change of face at the top of government is going to mean a change in policy. so far, the answer appears to