BEIJING - China expressed its confidence in the continued development of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, as the DPRK prepares for Wednesday's funeral of top leader Kim Jong-il.

"We hope and believe that the DPRK people will turn their sorrow into strength, and advance toward the goal of building a socialist country under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and Kim Jong-un," Foreign Minister spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing.

He also said China hopes that all sides in the region can improve their relationships and jointly push forward denuclearization and the Six-Party Talks.

Wednesday's funeral of Kim Jong-il is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of mourners.

President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Yong-nam (center) greets Lee Hee-ho (left), the Republic of Korea's (ROK) former first lady and widow of late ROK president Kim Dae-jung, in Pyongyang on Tuesday, after Lee paid her respects to deceased DPRK leader Kim Jong-il.[Photo/KCNA via Reuters]?

The DPRK media has so far given few details of the planned event but analysts expect it to be similar to the 1994 funeral of Kim's father Kim Il-sung.

"We're going to see a highly public presentation of grief. People will be in tears," AFP quoted Andrei Lankov of Seoul's Kookmin University as saying.

People in the DPRK will observe three minutes' silence on Thursday, the KCNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

"All the DPRK people will stay still for three minutes and all locomotives and ships (those on voyage included) will blow whistles and those units with sirens will sound them all at once," said the KCNA.

Kim Jong-un, who has already been referred to as "the wise leader of the party, country and army" by KCNA on Monday visited the bier of his father and expressed condolences for the fourth time, KCNA reported.

Footage on DPRK television showed Kim Jong-un in tears and wiping his face with a handkerchief.

WPK newspaper Rodong Sinmun, in an article published on the same day, said Kim Jong-un started to deal with national affairs the day after the death of Kim Jong-il and under his leadership, "all works of DPRK are unswervingly carried out".