North Koreans have paid their respects to their country's founder Kim Il Sung on the 15th anniversary of his death.

Kim Il Sung died of heart failure on July 8, 1994, at the age of 82. He ran the communist country with an iron grip and is still the object of an intense personality cult.

TV pictures showed his followers laying flowers and bowing reverently before a huge statue of the Great Leader in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

"The Great Leader, President Kim Il Sung, is always alive, not only in the hearts of our people, but also in the minds of people all over the world," said Pyongyang resident Hwang In San.

The hermit nation's leader, Kim Jong-il, looked gaunt during a rare appearance on state television at his father's memorial ceremony at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang. Kim Il Sung's embalmed body lies inside.

Kim Jong-il, who is also known as the Dear Leader, assumed power after his father's death, though he did not take on his father's title of president.

The anniversary comes amid intense speculation over preparations for the next transfer of power in the world's first communist dynasty.

The 67-year-old leader, who is reputed to have suffered a stroke last year, is believed to be preparing to eventually hand power to one of his own sons.

Several South Korean media reports suggest that the youngest of his three known sons, Kim Jong-un, has been chosen.

Interest has intensified because of concerns over Kim Jong-il's health and as the country has carried out two underground nuclear tests since 2006.

The latest came on May 25 and has led to concerns of regional instability and the possibility that the country's neighbours, South Korea and Japan, may eventually be tempted to develop nuclear weapons.

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.