朝鲜纪念金正日逝世3周年

North Korea's communist leadership is marking the three-year anniversary of the death of ex-dictator Kim Jong Il.

State television on Wednesday showed North Koreans bowing and leaving flowers at the statue of the former leader and his father Kim Il Sung.

Horns from automobiles, ships, and trains rang out across the country at noon Wednesday to mark the death anniversary.

Top North Korean leaders participated in a ceremony later at the Kumsusan Palace, where the bodies of the two late Kims are preserved.

Pyongyang has worked hard to create a personality cult around the Kim family, which has now ruled North Korea for three generations.

Kim Jong Il died unexpectedly in December 2011. He passed power to his young son, Kim Jong Un, who has quickly solidified his rule.

Wednesday marks the end of a traditional three-year mourning period for the late Mr. Kim.

The young Mr. Kim has largely carried out the same policies as his father, including overseeing the advancement of the country's massive military.

He is also responsible for overseeing what U.N. officials recently described as human rights abuses that are "unparalleled" in the modern world.