( CNN ) -- High ranking officials in North Korea on Wednesday paid their respects during the state funeral of the country 's second-highest ranking military officer , Jo Myong Rok , according to the official Korean Central News Agency . Jo , 82 , was vice marshal of the Korean People 's Army . He died of a heart attack on Saturday , state media said . The high-ranking army official made history in 2000 when he became the first North Korean military officer ever to enter the U.S. Pentagon , later meeting then-President Bill Clinton . Jo 's casket was carried by an armored car and escorted by motorcycles away from Pyongyang 's Central Hall of Workers where mourners were permitted to gather , state media reported . The country 's longtime leader Kim Jong Il and his son Kim Jong Un were among members of the funeral committee , state media said . Jo 's death has fueled speculation over new leadership in North Korea . `` The old guard is fading in influence , '' said Scott Snyder , North Korea expert at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations . `` It 's not clear if Kim Jong Un actually needs more titles to make it clear that he is on the rise , '' he said , referring to Kim Jong Il 's son . North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family since 1948 , and it is widely anticipated that Kim Jong Un will eventually succeed his father , but little is known about the apparent successor . The son of Kim 's third wife , who died in 2004 from breast cancer , Kim Jong Un reportedly studied under a false name at the International School in Bern , Switzerland , before attending the Kim Il Sung military academy in Pyongyang . Some North Korea analysts believe , on the other hand , that he may never have left North Korea .
High ranking officials attend state funeral of the country 's second -highest ranking military officer . In Wednesday , Kim Jong Un became the second North Korean military officer ever to enter the U.S. Pentagon . Jo 's death fuels speculation over leadership in New York as the `` old guard ' ages .