Memorial for late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il

As North Koreans arrive to pay their respects, women sweep the base of statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea.  (David Guttenfelder / Associated Press)

North Koreans gather to pay their respects to Kim Jong Il at the base of statues of Kim Jong Il and his father, the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung.  (David Guttenfelder / Associated Press)

On the eve of the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il, North Koreans gather at the steps of Mansu Hill to lay flowers at the base of statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.  (David Guttenfelder / Associated Press)

North Korean soldiers in formation at Kumsusan memorial palace.  (AFP/Getty Images)

North Korea soldiers stand guard on the banks of the Yalu River, which separates the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border town of Dandong.  (Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)

Near Paju, South Korea -- at the border of the Koreas -- South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence on the eve of second anniversary of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s death.  (Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press)