Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies Life Is Not Heavy For Him

Korean leader Kim Jong

President Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak spoke late Sunday following the announcement of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the White House said in a brief readout of their call.

"At midnight tonight, President Obama spoke with Republic of Korea President Lee Myung-bak to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula following the death of Kim Jong Il," the White House said.

Meanwhile, North Korea's state-run news agency declared that Kim's son, Kim Jong Un, is "the great successor to the revolutionary cause ... and outstanding leader of our party, army and people." 

The North Korean government announced Kim's death on state television at noon Monday local time.

Soon after reports of Kim's death emerged late Sunday in Washington, White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement that the administration was monitoring reports and had been in touch with South Korea and Japan. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il reportedly died of a heart attack while taking a railroad tour of his impoverished nation. 17 years of personality-cult domination, mixed with dead-end Communist 

The announcement of Kim’s death was accompanied by the usual personality-cult histrionics, as the BBC reports: Mr Kim's death was announced in an emotional statement on national television.

Images from inside the secretive state showed people in the streets of Pyongyang weeping at the news of his death. Ruling party members in one North Korean county were shown by state TV banging tables and crying out loud, the AFP news agency reports.

KCNA said people were "convulsing with pain and despair" at their loss, but would unite behind his successor Kim Jong-un. "All party members, military men and the public should faithfully follow the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un and protect and further strengthen the unified front of the party, military and the public," the news agency said.

Now that the selfless Dear Leader has worked himself to death, control passes to his son, “Great Successor” Kim Jong Un.  CNN reports the ruling Workers’ Party is confident that “Kim Jong Un’s leadership provides a sure guarantee for creditably carrying to completion the revolutionary cause through generations.” 

Unfortunately for the glorious revolution, the elder Kim was not finished grooming Jong Un, who is only in his 20s, to take power. 

"Kim Jong Un is not going to be expected, nor is he qualified, to make tough decisions. But the party system is there, and the decision-making mechanism that has been established by Kim Jong Il will continue.

It is likely that Kim Jong Un's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, will rule behind the scenes as Kim Jong Un trains on the job, the global intelligence firm Stratfor said.

Naturally, U.S. and South Korean forces are on alert, as no one is entirely certain what the North will do when roiled by political instability for the first time since the Communist regime was declared by Kim Jong Il’s father, Kim Il Sung. There’s already been a short-term hit to the stock market in nervous South Korea. 

 The Wall Street Journal has an interesting report of Chinese reaction to Kim Jong Il’s death. 

Kim’s death was the top trending topic on Sina Weibo, China’s most active Twitter-like microblogging platform

One indicator of how Chinese Internet users are taking Kim’s death: the use of emoticons.

“Kim Jong Il has gotten on the boat,” quipped a Weibo user writing under the handle Chongqing Ocean.

So said North Korean state media, reporting on scenes of unrestrained public sadness at the death of long time leader Kim Jong-il – scenes whose spontaneity may be questioned by critics of the regime.

State media said Kim, aged 69, died of a heart attack while travelling on a train. It is calling his youngest known son Kim Jong-un the “great successor.” The North has reportedly test-fired a short-range missile on its eastern coast, according to unconfirmed South Korean reports. It is unclear if this was linked to the death of Kim Jong-il who has ruled North Korea since 1994.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has died of a heart attack at the age of 69, state media have announced. Millions of North Koreans were "engulfed in indescribable sadness", the KCNA state news agency said, as people wept openly in Pyongyang. KNCA described one of his sons, Kim Jong-un, as the "great successor" whom North Koreans should unite behind.

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This could be a turning point for North Korea” Fears were compounded by unconfirmed reports from South Korean news agency Yonhap that the North had test-fired a missile off its eastern coast before the announcement of Kim Jong-il's death was made. The South Korean defence ministry has declined to comment.

Following news of Mr Kim's death, South Korea put its armed forces on high alert and said the country was on a crisis footing. China - North Korea's closest ally and biggest trading partner - expressed shock at the news of his death and pledged to continue making "active contributions to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in this region". Mr Kim's death was announced in an emotional statement on national television.

Analysis

North Korea has shocked the world by announcing that its leader has died.

Kim Jong-il had been presented to his people as a father-figure and demi-god - all-powerful and benevolent.

The state news agency said a funeral would be held in Pyongyang on 28 December and Kim Jong-un would head the funeral committee.

Ruling party members in one North Korean county were shown by state TV banging tables and crying out loud, the AFP news agency reports.

KCNA said people were "convulsing with pain and despair" at their loss, but would unite behind his successor Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-il: The cinephile despot

"All party members, military men and the public should faithfully follow the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un and protect and further strengthen the unified front of the party, military and the public," the news agency said.

Little is known about Kim Jong-un. He was educated in Switzerland, is aged in his late 20s and is believed to be Kim Jong-il's third son - born to Mr Kim's reportedly favourite wife, the late Ko Yong-hui. Kim Jong-un was unveiled as his father's likely successor just over a year ago.

Donald Gregg Former US ambassador to South Korea. Kim Jong-il's death should not have come as a complete surprise to anyone, given his tenuous health.

Will Kim's death aid ties with US?

Analysts say that with the process of transition from father to son incomplete, Mr Kim's death could herald "very unstable times" in North Korea.

Christopher Hill, former US representative to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme, said all parties needed to "keep cool heads".

Kim Jong-il inherited the leadership of North Korea from his father Kim Il-sung.

Under Mr Kim's leadership, funds have been channelled to the military and in 2006 North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.

Multinational talks aimed at disarming North Korea have been deadlocked for months.