Kim Jong Il is Dead

[catfish]

He is dead.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, 69, has died

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- Kim Jong Il, North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic leader, has died. He was 69.

Kim's death was announced Monday by state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 but appeared relatively vigorous in photos and video from recent trips to China and Russia and in numerous trips around the country carefully documented by state media.

The leader, reputed to have had a taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine, was believed to have had diabetes and heart disease.

The news came as North Korea prepared for a hereditary succession. Kim Jong Il inherited power after his father, revered North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, died in 1994.

In September 2010, Kim Jong Il unveiled his third son, the twenty-something Kim Jong Un, as his successor, putting him in high-ranking posts.

Asian stock markets moved lower amid the news, which raises the possibility of increased instability on the divided Korean peninsula.

South Korea's Kospi index was down 3.9 percent at 1,767.89 and Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.8 percent to 8,331.00. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 2 percent to 17,929.66 and the Shanghai Composite Index dropped 2 percent to 2,178.75

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"Young general" seen poised to take over North Korea dynasty


Kim Jong-un (C), son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (not pictured) visits Mokran Video Company in Pyongyang in this undated picture released by the North's official KCNA news agency September 11, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/KCNA/Files/Files

By Jack Kim and Jeremy Laurence
SEOUL | Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:30am IST

SEOUL (Reuters) - Young and inexperienced, Kim Jong-un is seen as poised to take over North Korea with the death of his father and extend the Kim dynasty's rule over the reclusive state for a third generation.

Not much is known about the younger Kim, not even his age, though his father, Kim Jong-il, and his autocratic regime had begun making preparations for the son's transition to power.

Thought to be aged around 27, Kim Jong-un Had already been made a four-star general and occupied a prominent political post when he was reported to have made an important diplomatic visit to neighbouring China in May this year.

On the trip, he introduced himself to the destitute North's main benefactor, possibly one of the most crucial diplomatic moves he will ever make.

"The rest of the world is going to have to look at someone who is basically a kid as having China's support to be the North's next leader," Yang Moo-min, of Seoul's University of North Korean Studies, said at the time.

The youngest of the leader's three sons, Kim was most likely born in 1984.

His name in Chinese characters translates as "righteous cloud" while the media calls him "the young general".

Educated in Switzerland, he is thought to speak English and German, and bears a striking resemblance to his grandfather, the North's founder, Kim Il-sung.

Analysts say two attacks on the peninsula last year, which killed 50 South Koreans, were aimed at winning the army's support for a continuation of dynastic rule and underscored an intent to maintain the state's military-first policy.

Experts say the young Kim is likely to follow the same militaristic path, maintaining a strong grip over one of the world's largest armies and pressing on with a nuclear weapons programme in the face of international outrage.

SUCCESSION PROCESS

Last year, the young dauphin was officially anointed as leader-in-waiting when his father made him a four-star general and gave him a prominent political post. But for added security, Kim promoted his sister and her husband to top positions to create a powerful triumvirate to run the family dynasty.

Despite speculation that Kim Jong-il's rule was nearing its end, after he reportedly suffered a stroke in 2008, the "Dear Leader" increased his workload and appeared to be physically stronger in recent months.
There have also been few signs of regime change, with no overt signs of crisis or instability.

"Despite economic hardship, food shortages, and a welter of sanctions, the Kim Jong-il regime seems stable, and the succession process is, by all appearances, taking place smoothly," John Delury and Chung-in Moon of Yonsei University wrote in an article in April.

Moreover, the two scholars say China is actively engaged on diplomatic and economic levels in supporting North Korea's survival, stability and development.

China prefers the status quo on the peninsula, worried that if the South takes over the North, the South would bring its U.S. military ally to the Chinese border.

CLOAK OF SECRECY

The most frequently viewed photograph of Jong-un before his emergence last year was of him as an 11-year-old. But recent pictures and footage of him show a heavy-set young man with his hair clipped short to resemble the young leader Kim Il-sung.

There is a question over whether his late mother, a Japanese-born professional dancer called Ko Yong-hui, was Kim Jong-il's official wife or mistress -- an issue that might weigh on his legitimate right to replace his father.

Even by intensely secretive North Korean standards, remarkably little is known about the son, whose youth is also a potential problem in a society that values seniority.

Kim Jong-il was very publicly named heir by his father, Kim Il-sung, but he studiously avoided repeating the process and for years none of his three sons appeared in state media.

Kim Il-sung, the "eternal president", died in 1994.

After taking over from his father, Kim Jong-il saw his state's economy grow weaker and a famine in the 1990s killed about one million of his people, while he advocated a military-first policy.

In a book about his time as chef to the ruling household, Kenji Fujimoto of Japan said that of the three sons, the youngest, Kim Jong-un, most resembled his father.

He is also said to have a ruthless streak and the strongest leadership skills of the three. He was also thought to be his father's favourite.

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2011/12/19 13:09 KST

President Lee orders all officials on emergency status after Kim's death

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak ordered Monday all government officials to be placed on emergency response status, following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Under the order, all government officials are restricted from taking leave or traveling and required to maintain emergency contact with their offices, officials said.

North Korea's state media reported earlier in the day that the 69-year-old Kim died of a massive heart attack on Saturday, while on board a train during one of his field trips.

Lee was holding an emergency National Security Council meeting with security-related ministers, including Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, to discuss countermeasures after Kim's death.

South Korea's military has been placed on emergency alert and its foreign ministry also placed its overseas diplomatic missions on an emergency standby.

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Japan sets up crisis management team on North Korea

Published on Dec 19, 2011


Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda set up a crisis management team on North Korean on Monday following news of the death of its leader Kim Jong Il, a spokesman for Mr Noda said. -- PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda set up a crisis management team on North Korean on Monday following news of the death of its leader Kim Jong Il, a spokesman for Mr Noda said.

Mr Noda instructed relevant government ministries to collect information following an announcement by North Korea's state television that Kim had died on Saturday, the spokesman for the prime minister's office said.

He told Reuters that Mr Noda wanted to verify the announcement as well as look into its implications.

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Military declares emergency alert

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday placed all military units on emergency alert following the news of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death.

The JCS said it called an emergency meeting of officials handling crisis management and operations just after noon Monday, after the North Korean media reported Kim's death.

The JCS said it has increased its monitoring activities along the border along with the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command. No unusual activity had been observed from the North, officials said.

Officials said they may raise the "Defcon," a five-stage combat alert level, from its current level of four to three, and may also increase the Watchcon, an anti-North Korea surveillance alert, from three to two. Watchcon two signifies a state of emergency with indications of a vital threat from North Korea.

The South last raised its Watchcon to two immediately after the North shelled Yeonpyeong Island, just south of the Yellow Sea border on Nov. 23, killing two marines and two civilians.

"We're keeping close tabs on the demilitarized zone (DMZ), Joint Security Area (JSA) and Northern Limit Line (NLL) for possibilities of North Korean provocations," one JCS official said, referring to volatile border areas on land and in sea.

According to the JCS, the Master Control and Report Center (MCRC) at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, which handles aerial monitoring and analysis, plans to ask for reinforcement by both South Korean and U.S. forces.

Army Gen. Jung Seung-jo, chairman of the JCS, is on his way back to Seoul from a field trip to frontline units, officials said. (Yonhap)

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US Aid a Step Toward Korea Nuke Talks


By: JEAN H. LEE | Associated Press
Published: December 18, 2011 Updated: December 18, 2011 - 6:18 AM
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The United States is poised to announce a significant donation of food aid to North Korea this week, the first concrete accomplishment after months of behind-the-scenes diplomatic contacts between the two wartime enemies. An agreement by North Korea to suspend its controversial uranium enrichment program will likely follow within days.

A broad outline of the emerging agreement has been made known to The Associated Press by people close to the negotiations.

Discussions have been taking place since summer in New York, Geneva and Beijing. They already have yielded agreements by North Korea to suspend nuclear and ballistic missile testing, readmit international nuclear inspectors expelled in 2009, and resume a dialogue between North Korea and South Korea, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of sensitivity of the negotiations.

Suspension of uranium enrichment by North Korea had been a key outstanding demand from both the U.S. and South Korea of the North, which has tested two atomic devices in the past five years. Food talks in Beijing yielded a breakthrough on uranium enrichment, they said.

The announcement of the food aid, expected to take place as early as Monday in Washington, not only would be welcome news for North Korea, but also pave the way for another crucial U.S.-North Korea meeting in Beijing on Thursday. That meeting in turn could lead within weeks to the resumption of nuclear disarmament talks that would also include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.

The so-called six-party talks were last held three years ago, and resuming them would amount to a foreign policy coup for the Obama administration.
The U.S. would provide 240,000 tons of high-protein biscuits and vitamins 20,000 tons a month for a year but not much-wanted rice, according to reports in the South Korean media. It would be the first food aid from the U.S. in nearly three years.

Negotiators have sought for two decades to convince North Korea to dismantle its plutonium-producing nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, which the government insists exists to generate much-needed power. But plutonium can be used to make atomic bombs, and North Korea also stands by its right to develop missiles to defend itself against the nuclear-armed United States.

In 2009, North Korea tested a missile capable of reaching U.S. shores, earning widespread condemnation and strengthened U.N. sanctions. An incensed North Korea, which insisted the rocket launch was designed to send a satellite into space, walked away from ongoing nuclear disarmament talks in protest.

In the weeks that followed, North Korea tested a nuclear device and announced it would begin enriching uranium, which would give it a second way to make atomic weapons.

"North Korea's disclosure of a uranium enrichment program was bait" for negotiations and aid, said Jeung Young-tae, an analyst with the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. "And the United States grabbed that bait."

With little arable land and outdated agricultural practices, North Korea has long struggled to feed its people. Flooding and a harsh winter further destroyed crops. The World Food Program issued a plea earlier this year for $218 million in humanitarian help to feed the most vulnerable.

As donations trickled in, Washington deliberated for months on whether to contribute food aid.

Then, in July, U.S. and North Korean negotiators met in New York, and again in Geneva in November. Two days of discussion on food aid in Beijing led to this week's expected announcement of a food-aid package.

This diplomatic dance has unfolded as North Korea prepares for two milestone events for its citizens: the 100th anniversary of the April 1912 birth of President Kim Il Sung, who is officially regarded as the nation's "eternal president" long after his death, and a movement to prepare Kim Jong Un, son of current leader Kim Jong Il, to become the next ruler.

A peace treaty with the U.S. to formally end the Korean War and ensure stability on the Korean peninsula has remained a key goal for the North Korean leadership. The war that erupted in 1950 was suspended with an armistice in 1953, but tensions on the Korean peninsula have remained high ever since.

A technical state of war remains, and the U.S. maintains a garrison of 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect its ally against aggression.
More recently, the deadly March 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship and a November 2010 artillery attack on a front-line South Korean island populated by civilians only deepened tensions between North Korea and the West.

Besides a food aid deal, another tangible sign of diplomatic progress has been North Korea's recent willingness to discuss letting U.S. military officials into North Korea to recover remains of U.S. servicemen killed a project suspended by Washington in 2005. North Korea has agreed to allow a first U.S. team into the country in the spring, officials said.

But overlying all of this is a desire by the U.S. and its allies to restart nuclear disarmament negotiations.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Friday that there was no announcement yet on food aid or further U.S. talks with North Korea.

However, those with knowledge of the negotiations told the AP an announcement was expected as soon as Monday, and would include a provision for better monitoring of food distribution to allay concerns that aid meant for the most needy is diverted to North Korea's powerful military.

Nuland, who has said the government wants to ensure the food goes to the needy, "not to the regime, and not to go locked up in storehouses," has said the food in question is better characterized as "nutritional assistance."

"When you think about food, you think about sacks of rice, cans of food, things that might easily be diverted to the wrong purpose," she said Thursday.

"When you talk about nutritional assistance, it could be that, but it could also be things like vitamin supplements to populations in need, like women and children; it could be high protein biscuits or other things." The concern, she said, is that items intended for starving women and children "not find themselves on some leader's banquet table."

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N. Korea, US may delay bilateral talks

North Korea and the United States are highly likely to delay bilateral nuclear talks set for this week in Beijing, following the report of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death, a senior Seoul official said Monday.

"In the wake of the North Korean leader Kim's death, it would be difficult for the two sides to hold the talks in Beijing this week," the official at Seoul's foreign ministry said on the condition of anonymity.

Pyongyang and Washington are set to hold the third round of meetings on Thursday in Beijing to discuss ways to resume the long-stalled six-nation talks on the North's nuclear weapons program.

North Korea's state media announced at noon on Monday that the 69-year-old Kim died on Saturday.

South Korea's foreign ministry has immediately put all of its overseas missions on an "emergency response" status since Kim's death, officials said.

First Vice Foreign Minister Park Suk-hwan was holding an emergency meeting to discuss Seoul's diplomatic responses following Kim's death, they said. (Yonhap)

[Ryan Ruck]

I have read that Kim Jong Un, the son set to take over, is worse than daddy.

Makes me wonder if he's going to act out to solidify his position as leader. You know like the "kill someone the first night in jail to show them you mean business" type of thing?

[BRVoice]

I have read that Kim Jong Un, the son set to take over, is worse than daddy.

Makes me wonder if he's going to act out to solidify his position as leader. You know like the "kill someone the first night in jail to show them you mean business" type of thing?

I thought the same thing when I knew about Kim Jong Il death. I believe that something very, very dangerous is about to happen in the DMZ between the two Koreas.

Watch out and high alert everybody!

[Toad]

My fear is some old time hardcore Generals are NOT COOL with a very young and untested Kim-Un taking over. Keep your eyes peeled for some serious power plays from the Military and something that spins out of control.

Gonna be a very nervous Christmas on the DMZ.

[BRVoice]

Uncertainty And Anxiety' As World Watches North Korea

Categories: Foreign News
07:30 am
December 19, 2011
by Mark Memmott

"Kim's Death Inspires Worries and Anxiety."

That's the headline on this morning's New York Times analysis of the news that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is dead (as we reported late last night).

It also sums up the analysis on Morning Edition today from Stephen Bosworth, a former U.S. special representative for North Korea. Kim Jong Il's death, he told guest host Linda Wertheimer, "clearly adds to the level of uncertainty and anxiety" because there's now a "transition of leadership in a country that is ... impoverished and which has something in the way of a nuclear arsenal."

And the anxiety and uncertainty was underscored this morning with word from South Korea's Yonhap News Agency that today the North test fired some type of short-range missile. That was "a warning to the rest of the world," Bostworth said, "that they are still a military power to be reckoned with, 'so don't trifle with us.' "

South Korea's military is on "emergency alert," Yonhap says.

Kim Jong Il's presumed successor, his son Kim Jong Un, is thought to be in his late 20s and to have gotten some education in Switzerland. Donald Gregg, a U.S. ambassador to South Korea in the early '90s, writes for the BBC today that since "just a few days ago US and North Korean officials met in Beijing to discuss modalities for a resumption of American economic aid to the North," now might be the time to "build upon ... [that] step forward." And, he writes that Kim Jong Un's ascension is "potentially positive."

But in 2009, Foreign Policy magazine looked at the selection of Kim Jong Un as heir apparent and at the signs that under Kim Jong Il something of a "collective leadership" had risen and it cautioned that:


"Whether this governing structure will last is a big question. North Korea, after all, does not have a history of collective leadership. If the reports to date are accurate, it makes sense that Kim Jong Il has tried to build the collective leadership around someone within his family. But, forecasting on what will happen after Kim Jong Il is highly speculative."

[BRVoice]

China expresses condolences on Kim Jong-Il: Xinhua

2011-12-19 20:26

• Text
• 

• N.K. shows signs of cutting in on overs...
• SNS battle rages in mayoral race
• Lee: Protecting ’socially weak’ top gov...
• Court rejects arrest warrant for ex-vic...
• N.K. speeds up work to spruce up Pyongy...
• Mayoral runners strive for public poll...
• Korea, Japan expand currency swaps
• Obama to sign FTAs on Friday
• Lee to hold summit with Japan＇s prime m...
• US and N.Korea hold food aid talks in Beijing
• Korean school meals exempt from WTO gov＇t procurement deal
• Seoul calls for bilateral talks with Japan on comfort women
• ‘U.S. to keep deterrence against N.K.’
• POSCO’s Park to be buried at Seoul national cemetery
• Malaysian acid attack victim to get new face in Korea

North Korean embassy staff members lower their national flag to half-mast to mourn the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on the roof of the embassy in Beijing, China, Monday. (AP-Yonhap News)

BEIJING (AFP) ― China on Monday offered its “deep condolences” on the death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

“We are shocked to learn that DPRK top leader comrade Kim Jong Il passed away and we hereby express our deep condolences on his demise and send sincere regards to the DPRK people,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.

China is a neighbor and close ally of the isolated Stalinist state, whose official media announced on Monday that its leader had died of a heart attack at the age of 69 and that his son, Kim Jong-un, would succeed him.

Analysts said his death would be a source of concern to stability-obsessed leaders in Beijing who would be anxious that Kim Jong-un has not had enough time to secure control over the country’s government and military.

More than 21,700 North Koreans have fled their impoverished and hunger-stricken homeland since the 1950-1953 Korean War, the vast majority in recent years.

They typically escape on foot to China before travelling to a third country. Beijing is worried that if the North Korea regime were to collapse, the country could be inundated with refugees.

[BRVoice]

S. Korean officials kept in dark on N. Korean leader's death

2011-12-19 20:34

• Text
• 

• N.K. shows signs of cutting in on overs...
• SNS battle rages in mayoral race
• Lee: Protecting ’socially weak’ top gov...
• Court rejects arrest warrant for ex-vic...
• N.K. speeds up work to spruce up Pyongy...
• Mayoral runners strive for public poll...
• Korea, Japan expand currency swaps
• Obama to sign FTAs on Friday
• Lee to hold summit with Japan＇s prime m...
• US and N.Korea hold food aid talks in Beijing
• Korean school meals exempt from WTO gov＇t procurement deal
• Seoul calls for bilateral talks with Japan on comfort women
• ‘U.S. to keep deterrence against N.K.’
• POSCO’s Park to be buried at Seoul national cemetery
• Malaysian acid attack victim to get new face in Korea

South Korean officials are under public and media fire Monday for their apparent failure to collect credible intelligence on the sudden death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

South Korean intelligence apparently had no information about Kim's death two days ago until North Korea announced it. According to the North's TV broadcasts, the 69-year-old leader died of a heart attack Saturday during a train trip.

Earlier in the day, North Korea said it was going to make an important announcement at noon, keeping South Korean officials wondering what it would be.

According to Seoul government sources, there was no inside intelligence that indicated the North's announcement would be about the leader's death.

The lapse in intelligence on North Korea kept President Lee Myung-bak in the dark until the North's announcement, the sources said.

When North Korea's state television aired the news of Kim's death, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin was in parliament briefing lawmakers on a defense reform bill. He rushed back to his ministry after being informed of the news.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was also on a tour of a front-line unit when the news broke out.

In May, the South Korean government also came under fire for failing to collect accurate information about the North Korean leader's trip to China. At that time, officials said that Kim's heir-apparent son, Jong-un, was accompanying his father on the China trip, but he actually did not.

[BRVoice]

This is the official North Korean Central Agency article about the death of Kim Jong Il


Notice to All Party Members, Servicepersons and People

Pyongyang, December 19 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the Cabinet of the DPRK on Saturday announced the following notice to all party members, servicepersons and people:

The Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the Cabinet of the DPRK notify with bitterest grief to all the party members, servicepersons and people of the DPRK that Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, passed away of a sudden illness at 08: 30 on December 17, Juche 100 (2011) on his way to field guidance.

He dedicated all his life to the inheritance and accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche and energetically worked day and night for the prosperity of the socialist homeland, happiness of people, reunification of the country and global independence. He passed away too suddenly to our profound regret.

His sudden demise at a historic time when an epochal phase is being opened for accomplishing the cause of building a powerful and prosperous socialist state and the Korean revolution is making steady victorious progress despite manifold difficulties and trials is the greatest loss to the WPK and the Korean revolution and the bitterest grief to all the Koreans at home and abroad.

Kim Jong Il, who was born as a son of guerillas on Mt. Paektu, the holy mountain of the revolution, and grew up to be a great revolutionary, wisely led the party, the army and people for a long period, performing undying revolutionary feats on behalf of the country, the people, the times and history.

Kim Jong Il possessed of personality and qualifications as a great man on the highest and perfect level was an outstanding thinker and theoretician who led the revolution and construction along the path of steady victories with his profound ideologies and theories and remarkable leadership. He was also peerlessly political elder and outstanding and illustrious commander of Songun and peerless patriot and tender-hearted father of the people who recorded the whole history of the revolutionary struggle with ardent love for the country and its people and noble dedication.

Considering it as his lifelong mission to carry to completion generation after generation the revolutionary cause of Juche started by President Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il pushed forward the revolution and construction in line with the idea and intention of the President as the dearest comrade and the most loyal comrade-in-arms of the President.

Kim Jong Il comprehensively developed in depth the immortal Juche idea, Songun idea, fathered by the President and glorified it as the idea guiding the era of independence with his clairvoyant wisdom and energetic ideological and theoretical activities. He firmly defended and carried forward the revolutionary traditions of Mt. Paektu with pure mind, thereby giving a steady continuity to the Korean revolution.

Kim Jong Il, genius of the revolution and construction, developed the party, army and state to be the party, army and state of Kim Il Sung, put the dignity and power of the nation on the highest level and ushered in the golden days of prosperity unprecedented in the nation's history spanning 5 000 years under the uplifted banner of modeling the whole society on the Juche idea.

Kim Jong Il, supreme incarnation of the revolutionary moral obligation, set a great example in perpetuating the memory of President Kim Il Sung unknown in human political history, thus making sure that the august name of the President, his undying revolutionary career and exploits always shine along with the eternal history of Juche Korea.

Kim Jong Il, great master of politics and illustrious commander born of Heaven, honorably defended the socialist gains, noble heritage bequeathed by the President, by dint of Songun politics despite the collapse of the world socialist system, the demise of the President which was the greatest loss to the nation, the vicious offensive of the imperialist allied forces to stifle the DPRK and severe natural disasters. He turned the DPRK into an invincible political and ideological power in which single-minded unity has been achieved and made it emerge a nuclear weapons state and an invincible military power which no enemy can ever provoke.

True to President Kim Il Sung's behest, Kim Jong Il set a gigantic goal to build a prosperous and powerful country and led an all-people general advance for attaining it, thus making the drive for a great revolutionary surge rage throughout the country and bringing about great innovations and leap forward on all fronts of socialist construction.

Kim Jong Il, father of the nation and lodestar of national reunification, led all the fellow countrymen to the road of independence and great national unity with his rock-firm will to implement the instructions of the President for national reunification and ushered in the June 15 era of reunification in which the noble idea of "By our nation itself" is materialized.

As a great guardian of socialism and justice, he conducted energetic external activities for the victory of the socialist cause, global peace and stability and friendship and solidarity among peoples under the uplifted banner of independence against imperialism, thus remarkably raising the international position and prestige of the DPRK and making immortal contributions to the human cause of independence.

In the whole period of his protracted revolutionary guidance, he valued and loved the people very much and always shared weal and woe with them. He continued to make difficult forced march for field guidance, making unremitting efforts and working heart and soul to build a thriving country and improve the standard of people's living. He died from repeated mental and physical fatigue on a train in that course.

The whole life of Kim Jong Il was the most brilliant life of a great revolutionary who covered an untrodden thorny path with his iron will and superhuman energy, holding aloft the red flag of revolution. It was the life of the peerless patriot who dedicated his all to the country and its people.

He passed away to our regret before seeing the victory of the cause of building a thriving nation, the national reunification and the accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche so ardently desired by him, but laid a strong political and military base for ensuring the steady advance of the Korean revolution through generations and provided a solid foundation for the eternal prosperity of the country and the nation.

Standing in the van of the Korean revolution at present is Kim Jong Un, great successor to the revolutionary cause of Juche and outstanding leader of our party, army and people.

Kim Jong Un's leadership provides a sure guarantee for creditably carrying to completion the revolutionary cause of Juche through generations, the cause started by Kim Il Sung and led by Kim Jong Il to victory.

We have the invincible revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu faithful to the cause of the Workers' Party of Korea, the great unity of the army and people closely rallied around the Party, the best Korean-style socialist system centered on the popular masses and the solid foundation of the independent national economy.

Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un we should turn our sorrow into strength and courage and overcome the present difficulties and work harder for fresh great victory of the Juche revolution.

Our army and people will hold leader Kim Jong Il in high esteem forever with unshakable faith and noble sense of moral obligation. True to his behests, they will make neither slightest concession nor delay on the road of the Juche revolution, the Songun revolution but resolutely defend his undying feats and glorify them for all ages.

All the party members, servicepersons and people should remain loyal to the guidance of respected Kim Jong Un and firmly protect and further cement the single-minded unity of the party, the army and the people.

Under the uplifted banner of Songun, we should increase the country's military capability in every way to reliably safeguard the Korean socialist system and the gains of revolution and make the torch lit in South Hamgyong Province, the drive for the industrial revolution in the new century, rage throughout the country and thus bring about a decisive turn in building an economic power and improving the standard of people's living.

We will surely achieve the independent reunification of the country by concerted efforts of all Koreans by thoroughly implementing the Three Charters for National Reunification and the north-south joint declarations.

Our party and people will strive hard to boost friendship and solidarity with the peoples of different countries, guided by the idea of independence, peace and friendship, and build an independent and peaceful, new world free from domination, subjugation, aggression and war.

Arduous is the road for our revolution to follow and grim is the present situation. But no force on earth can check the revolutionary advance of our party, army and people under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Un.

The heart of Kim Jong Il stopped beating, but his noble and august name and benevolent image will always be remembered by our army and people and his glorious history of revolutionary activities and undying feats will remain shining in the history of the country forever.-0-

[BRVoice]

Suspicions arise over cause of death

Kim Jong-il, left, poses with his son and heir apparent Kim Jong-un during a massive military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang in this Oct. 10, 2010 file photo. / Korea Times

By Kang Hyun-kyung

In the wake of the announcement of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, speculation has mushroomed over the cause, mainly because of the extreme secrecy in the Stalinist state.

North Korea’s Central News Agency reported Monday that Kim died of a heart attack last Saturday on a train while heading to an unidentified destination.

Previously, the late North Korean leader had suffered two strokes; and his declining health had spurred speculation among those outside the North that his death was near.

Given this, the announcement wasn’t unexpected.

However, there are some North Korean defectors here who remain suspicious of the state-controlled media’s report on the cause of his death, raising very cautiously the possibility of Kim having been murdered.

An Chan-il, a political scientist, didn’t rule out the possibility that the North Korean leader might have been killed by those harboring discontent with the way he ruled the country.

“After his third son Jung-un was named for a dynastic leadership succession, many military officers, especially those in their 50s, were dismissed. I think these people could have held deep resentment about Kim and North Korea’s next leader,” he said.

“A rumor is circulating that earlier a high-ranking North Korean official was shot dead. This has yet to be confirmed, but such talk is evidence that discontent was brewing among some people in the North.”

An, 57, speculated the North Korean military’s dwindling power could have spurred brewing displeasure among some military officers, especially those eliminated from power.

Under the Kim Jong-il regime, the political scientist said, they had complained about their status as the military-first policy showed signs of retreating.

“As their vested interests were hurt due to Kim Jong-il, I would not rule out the possibility that some military officers, who believed their clout and influence had been damaged, could have played a role in his death,” An said.

Rep Chun Yo-ok of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) also raised the possibility that Kim might have been killed as a result of a power struggle inside the North.

Another North Korean defector, however, remained cautious about this.

Kim Seong-min, the representative of Free North Korea Radio based in Seoul, said he believed the North’s announcement on Kim’s death as there was no evidence backing foul play.

North Korea said that the cause of Kim’s death was confirmed after the authorities there carried out an autopsy Sunday, the day after he died.

[BRVoice]

Six-party nuclear talks plunge into uncertainty

12-19-2011 16:53

By Park Si-soo

The sudden death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has immediately caught South Korea off guard and plunged the envisioned multilateral negotiations aimed at denuclearization of the reclusive nation into a serious doubt.

The third round of meetings between the United States and North Korea aimed at resuming the long-stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks has been delayed indefinitely. The meeting was originally slated for Thursday in Beijing.

Seoul’s recent efforts to hold the third round of talks with Pyongyang in a separate move to reopen the six-party talks will surely face a great setback, analysts said.

It will take time for the North to return to any negotiation tables with the relevant countries, including the South, they said. They couldn’t predict how long Pyongyang’s diplomacy will remain paralyzed, citing the fact that no clear leadership has been established in the nuclear-armed totalitarian country.

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who led the American delegation to the six-party talks, said he believes Kim Jong-un was “not ready” to take the helm.

He said Kim’s death will bring about a negative impact upon possible dialogue between the North and the U.S. although the two countries recently reportedly reached agreement on U.S. food aid in return for the North dismantling its uranium enrichment program.

Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Washington-based think tank, the Heritage Foundation, said it is likely that such negotiations would be postponed as North Korea goes through a mourning period, formalized succession process, and possible retrenchment of its foreign policies.

“The death of Kim Jong-il would presumably delay a resumption of such negotiations as the new North Korean leadership assesses to what degree it is willing to open up to the outside world,” Klingner told The Korea Times in an email interview.

“Although Kim’s demise provides an opportunity for change on the Korean Peninsula,” he said it was a transition “fraught with uncertain, nervousness, and potential danger.”

Prof. Yoon Duk-min at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security is also taking a wait-and-see approach to the situation.

“Nothing is predictable at the moment,” Yoon said. “We need to pay attention to what’s happening in the North after Kim’s funeral slated for Dec. 28.”

Prof. Kim Yong-hyun of Dongguk University echoed the view, calling on the government to take an “extremely cautious” approach to the issue.

North Korea has said the late Kim’s third son, Jong-un, will replace his father as “Great Successor,” but analysts here said it’s unclear how strong the 20-something’s grip on the North Korean regime and its military is. In other words, there is a constant possibility that internal power struggle could erupt in deciding who will take the helm of North Korea, they said.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr

[BRVoice]

12-19-2011 18:32

Seoul beefs up watch on NK military movements

By Lee Tae-hoon

The South Korean military placed all its military units on emergency alert Monday and beefed up its monitoring activities along the border following the announcement of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death.

“The military raised its alert level from three to two at all installations and increased monitoring along the heavily fortified border with the North,” a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

He added the military has deployed its two airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) “Peace Eye” aircraft and other surveillance assets such as RF-4 reconnaissance jets.

"We're closely watching the Demilitarized Zone, Joint Security Area and Northern Limit Line for possible provocations by North Korea," another JCS official said.

The JCS assured that there was no unusual activity; but later acknowledged that Pyongyang launched a short-range missile into waters off its east coast.

“The North test-fired a missile Monday morning,” a military official said.

However, he downplayed its significance, saying the incident was irrelevant to the death of Kim and the military was fully aware of the North’s move in advance.

Analysts said the North pushed ahead with the scheduled launch of the missile to show that the Stalinist regime remains under the full control of its military leadership.

JCS Chairman Gen. Jung Seung-jo and Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of the U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK), agreed not to raise the Combined Services Command’s “Watchcon” and “Defcon” levels to avoid provoking the North.

Watchcon is an anti-North Korea surveillance alert and Defcon is a defense readiness status.

"The two generals decided South Korea and the United States should not create an unnecessary sense of crisis," a military official said.

Watchcon was raised to two in the wake of the North’s artillery shelling of Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23 last year that claimed the lives of four South Koreans, including two civilians.

He said Seoul has requested the USFK to increase their monitoring activities on the Stalinist North through the use of its U-2 spy planes and KH-11 spy satellite.

The National Police Agency (NPA) also instructed officers nationwide to beef up patrolling activities, especially for a possible terrorist attack near military units and key facilities.

All police officers, including riot police, are on full alert. The NPA has reportedly instructed all senior police officers to be on standby and not to leave their units in order to promptly respond to emergencies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also placed its overseas diplomatic missions on emergency standby.

leeth@koreatimes.co.kr

[American Patriot]

I just heard this on the way to work at 6AM this morning. I actually CHEERED in the truck.

Is that horrible of me?

LOL

[vector7]

North Korea test-fired missile on Monday - media


SEOUL | Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:17pm IST

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea test-fired a short-range missile on its eastern coast on Monday, the day its leader Kim Jong-il's death was announced, South Korean media reported.

An unnamed South Korean official was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying he did not believe the launch was linked to the announcement of Kim's death.

"This is something that the military has continued to follow, and we believe it is not related to the death of Chairman Kim Jong-il," Yonhap quoted the official as saying.

The launch probably came in the morning, before the North's state media announced at noon the death of Kim from a heart attack on Saturday.

South Korea's Defence Ministry and the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to confirm the report.

The North periodically test-fires short-range missiles into the waters off its coasts as part of routine training or timed to sensitive political developments. Reports of the last such firing came in June.

[vector7]

Armed Troops at 4 Meter Intervals

By Choi Song Min and Kang Mi Jin [2011-12-19 15:44 ]

Following on from news of the closure of North Korea’s border with China, Daily NK has learned that armed soldiers have been deployed en masse to the center of the city of Musan. A source from the border city in North Hamkyung Province told Daily NK this lunchtime, “Troops were mobilized from 9AM this morning and they chased out all the grasshopper traders from the alleyways around the market here. The people, who didn’t know the reason for it, all withdrew to watch and wait.” Grasshopper traders are those traders who operate in the alleyways outside officially sanctioned markets in North Korea. As reported earlier this afternoon by Daily NK, official markets have been shuttered by the North Korean authorities. “Now there are armed troops standing guard at four meter intervals downtown, and every available National Security Agency and People’s Safety Ministry agent is out there on guard duty,” the source added. According to the source, a number of long sirens rang out immediately after the news of Kim Jong Il’s death was reported by state media, and it was after this that troops and the security forces emerged onto the streets and ordered everyone to return to their homes. “Not even children are allowed to go out,” the source said.