Kim Jong Il body displayed, NKorea media hail son

The body of North Korea's long-time ruler Kim Jong Il was laid out in a glass coffin Tuesday as weeping mourners filled public plazas and state media fed a budding personality cult around his third son, hailing him as "born of heaven."

North Korea's official television showed still photos of Kim in the coffin surrounded by wreaths, his body covered with a red blanket and his head on a white pillow. A giant red curtain covered a wall behind Kim.

Kim Jong Un - Kim's third son and successor - visited the coffin along with top military and Workers' Party officials and held a "solemn ceremony" as the country mourned, state TV said. One woman apparently wiped tears from her eyes.

Kim died of a massive heart attack caused by overwork and stress, according to the North's media. He was 69 - though some experts question the official accounts of his birth date and location.

Although there were no signs of unrest or discord in Pyongyang's somber streets, Kim's death and the possibility of a power struggle in a country seeking nuclear weapons and known for its secrecy and unpredictability have heightened tensions in the region.