DPRK declares Kim 'supreme leader'

BEIJING - Pyongyang formally declared Kim Jong-un "supreme leader", as the country staged a massive memorial service on Thursday for Kim Jong-il to end a period of official mourning.

Analysts said the new leadership of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has to engage more with the international community to overcome challenges and maintain the stability of the Korean Peninsula.

A huge military memorial parade was held in Pyongyang on Thursday and tens of thousands of people were in attendance in the city's main square.