North Korea began the new era of young and untested leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday with a massive memorial service for the late Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.

An estimated 100,000 soldiers and civilians of Pyongyang gathered at Kim Il-sung Square where the late Kim’s successor and top party and military officials stood firm on the balcony of the Grand People’s Study House, North Korea’s state TV showed.

Wearing a black coat at his vantage point above the huge crowd, Kim Jong-un looked somber. Next to Kim were top military officer Ri Yong-ho, Premier Choe Yong-rim and Kim Jong-il’s younger sister Kim Kyong-hui.

Senior officials showered the young Kim with praise, calling him “supreme leader” during their speeches.

“Our respected comrade Kim Jong-un is supreme leader of the party, military and people who inherited the great leader Kim Jong-il’s ideology, leadership, character, virtue, courage and guts,” the ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam said in his memorial address.

“We should serve comrade Kim Jong-un as the center of the leadership and the center of the party authority.”

Kim Ki-nam, secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, also urged the North Korean people to faithfully follow the new leader.

“Our comrade Kim Jong-il had ordered all party members and workers to follow comrade Kim Jong-un’s lead and be loyal to him to inherit the prowess of the Juche (self-reliance) revolution,” Kim said.

In the plaza, soldiers and civilians stood along white lines drawn on the ground, not allowing an inch of deviation of the rows, while the Daedong River was seen frozen.

Among the crowd, a red banner read, “Let us complete Juche and the prowess of the Party, following the lead of respected comrade Kim Jong-un.”

The memorial service was aired live on television from 10:55 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., following the reportedly live broadcasting of the funeral ceremony on Wednesday.

At noon, there was a nationwide three minutes of silence, with volleys of gunfire in Pyongyang and provincial seats.

The 69-year-old reclusive despot, who had long drawn international attention and condemnation with his nuclear ambitions, died of a heart attack during a train ride on Dec. 17, according to North Korea’s state media. This account, however, has been challenged by intelligence sources here.

With the ending of Kim Jong-il’s rule, North Korea is expected to reveal its new policy direction in a joint New Year editorial on Jan. 1, 2012.

Neighboring countries including South Korea, Japan and China as well as Western powers including the U.S. are likely to gauge the successor’s policies through the editorial, observers said.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)