The government and the people of the isolated nation of North Korea are marking the first death anniversary of Kim Jong Il, also known as the great leader in the country.

The authorities displayed the embalmed body of late Kim Jong Il on Tuesday as per the tradition as the country mourned at his first death anniversary. The mausoleum with Kim's body in a lying state was reopened for guests.

Kim Jong Un, top military and government officials were present at the event to reopen the mausoleum, which also houses the body of the current leader's grandfather, the nation's founder Kim Il Sung. The palace where Kim Il Sung worked for several years, Kumsusan was first opened as a mausoleum on the first anniversary of his death in 1994. The hall bearing the glass coffin was opened to selected guests for the first time since his death.

The country marked the death anniversary amid immense national pride from successfully launching a long-range rocket that sent a satellite named after him to space. North Korean space officials say the satellite would be used to study crops and weather patterns but many believe that it was a test for launching long range ballistic missiles that can deliver nuclear war heads.