North Korea says goodbye to its "Dear leader," Kim Jong-il. His son and successor Kim Jong-un led a funeral procession in Pyongyang. Behind Kim Jong-un was his uncle Jang Song-thaek, with whom he will be sharing power. Hundreds of soldiers bowed in unison as the hearse drove past Kumsusan square. They were joined by tens of thousands of others, who braved the freezing weather to mourn their leader, as snow blanketed the capital. One of the myths surrounding Kim Jong-il was that he could control the weather, and the temperatures on this day were unusually cold. Kim Jong-il ruled North Korea since his father died 17 years ago, and he is revered in his nation of 25 million people. State television showed images of grieving civilians lining the streets, weeping and flailing their arms, as the funeral cortege of black Lincolns and Mercedes sedans moved slowly down the wide avenues. A soldier said, "The snow is endlessly falling like tears. How could the sky not cry when we've lost our general who was a great man from the sky? As we're separated from the general by death, people, mountains and sky are all shedding tears of blood. Dear Supreme Commander!" Soldiers in uniform wept, and groups of women were inconsolable. Some were splayed on the ground, while others tried to move closer to the funeral procession and were stopped by security. Even children joined in the mourning. North Korean soidier Seo Joo-Rim: "As I see the snow fall, I shed more tears thinking about our general's hard work." Kim Jong-il's passing sets up the reclusive state for only its second transition of power since the Korean War. The country was looking at 2012 as the year that was supposed to mark its transformation to a strong and prosperous nation. But Kim has left an impoverished, isolated North Korea and the world awaits how the new leadership will chart the country's path. (Michaela Cabrera/ Reuters)