North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Has Died

[Brandon]

Kim Jong Il, North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic leader whose iron rule and nuclear ambitions for his isolated communist nation dominated world security fears for more than a decade, has died. He was 69.

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

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Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 but he had 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 communist country's "Dear 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.

Kim Jong Il had been groomed for 20 years to lead the communist nation founded by his guerrilla fighter-turned-politician father and built according to the principle of "juche," or self-reliance.
Even with a successor, there had been some fear among North Korean observers of a behind-the-scenes power struggle or nuclear instability upon the elder Kim's death.

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/18/143933745/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-il-69-has-died

 

[bluediamond]

Why is this kind of image of him going around on the internet after his death?
Kim Jong Il

 

[Monster]

I suspect the figurine is an official one from North Korea. Perhaps the image came from North Korea, where people remember him in a positive way ... on North Korean TV, the TV presenter cried and people were shown crying, grieving for the loss of their leader. His son has already been announced as his successor.

Not sure if there will be any change in policy though. Western leaders have already called for a change in policy, perhaps hoping that North Korea will be more open towards other countries now.

What I really liked during the reign of Kim Jong Il was that at some point, he agreed to bring North and South Korea closer together, but that didn't last long, unfortunately. Perhaps some day, Korea can be reunited.

 

[bluediamond]

Is there anything to get upset about them rockets that were shot off?

 

[Brandon]

Why is this kind of image of him going around on the internet after his death?
Kim Jong Il

because he looks similar
the image on the right is from a pixar movie called UP

 

[bluediamond]

Very interesting video, it just like him in a way.

 

[Monster]

lol, I've seen Up, but didn't remember what the guy looked like.

 

[Monster]

Is there anything to get upset about them rockets that were shot off?

North Korea conducted a rocket test on the day Kim Yong Il died, right?

North Korea has the world's 4th largest military and probably has nuclear weapons.

Whether there's any danger from North Korea, is unclear, and many countries are worried about stability there. I'm not sure if there'll be any change in policy, since the son will probably have to continue the policy of the father.

Apparently it's not sure whether Kim Yong Un (despite been proclaimed successor to Kim Yong Il) will become ruler of the country -- apparently the approval of the military council is yet required.

Some worry that under Kim Yong Un, North Korea would be more likely to sell its nuclear technology to other countries.

 

[bluediamond]

If that were to happen with nuclear technology be used, it could cause a problem, right?

 

[Monster]

If that were to happen with nuclear technology be used, it could cause a problem, right?

Yes, there are multiple scenarios that could spell trouble not just for that region but the entire world.

One possible scenario I heard about today was that North Korea would become unstable, the USA would step in to secure all nuclear weapons, which would result in a war between China and the US, b/c China is North Korea's protective power.

Another scenario would be that North Korea sells nuclear weapons to other countries, which would result in nuclear proliferation and possible nuclear standoffs in the Middle East or elsewhere, or nuclear terrorism, even.

Yet another scenario would be North Korea using its own nuclear weapons against the US or any other country it perceives as a threat.

One problem is that the USA's nuclear weapons power is greatly exaggerated. Many US nuclear weapons are rusting away in some silos and no-one knows if they would work should the need arise. However, the NATO treaties should already guarantee that other countries like France or Israel could jump in if necessary.

 

[bluediamond]

That would be upsetting to know that America could be under attack at any time.

 

[ran]

he won't be so ronrey anymore

 

[iFart]

i think this is good thing for N.Korea right ?
i saw video while ago .. some korean citizens cry over his death, i don't get it

 

[Monster]

i think this is good thing for N.Korea right ?

Probably everything will stay as it was, but there's also hope for change. Kim Yong Un has studied in Switzerland, so there's some hope.

i saw video while ago .. some korean citizens cry over his death, i don't get it

Many North Koreans felt genuine loss at Kim Yong Il's death, b/c he was something akin to the son of god to them ... they don't know anything about the world outside, or at least that's what various analysts say.

 

[iFart]

Probably everything will stay as it was, but there's also hope for change. Kim Yong Un has studied in Switzerland, so there's some hope.



Many North Koreans felt genuine loss at Kim Yong Il's death, b/c he was something akin to the son of god to them ... they don't know anything about the world outside, or at least that's what various analysts say.

wow .. just wow, they don't know anything from outside world ? how? don't they travel?
i hope the 2012 will be Korea Spring, just like the " arab spring " on 2011

 

[Monster]

wow .. just wow, they don't know anything from outside world ? how? don't they travel?

That's a joke, right? North Korea is a Stalinist dictatorship (combined with a sort of absolutist monarchy), no-one is allowed to travel outside. And once you travel inside, there's no guarantee you'll get back out. People who dissent are put in labor camps for forced labor. Many are tortured and killed, every day probably. Probably even as we speak.

i hope the 2012 will be Korea Spring, just like the " arab spring " on 2011

Me too, I hope there will be some hope for the people of North Korea.

 

[iFart]

That's a joke, right? North Korea is a Stalinist dictatorship (combined with a sort of absolutist monarchy), no-one is allowed to travel outside. And once you travel inside, there's no guarantee you'll get back out. People who dissent are put in labor camps for forced labor. Many are tortured and killed, every day probably. Probably even as we speak.



Me too, I hope there will be some hope for the people of North Korea.

what the hell ? and i though the middle east countries was the worst
how about the internet ? is it allowed there ? if so they can use Facebook\Twitter\Youtube
to explore the world
i feel so bad about them

 

[Monster]

what the hell ? and i though the middle east countries was the worst

No, I think the worst are the dictatorships in Africa, they employ the most cruel of tortures ... once I saw a report about a torture device fair, and the African dictatorships are their best customers. You really don't wanna know.

The worst thing about North Korea is that people don't have enough food, b/c the system there is apparently comparably backward, and ineffective.

I mean when Germany was separated into East and West, with the East (the GDR) being a communist dictatorship, people there had enough food even if they didn't have many choices. And in the former USSR (former Soviet Russia), people didn't always have enough food, and had to queue in lines for several blocks just to get food from some shop, they still fared pretty well. But North Korean people are really bad off.

how about the internet ? is it allowed there ? if so they can use Facebook\Twitter\Youtube to explore the world i feel so bad about them

Internet is regulated over there, I doubt the common man has access to the Internet there, and even if so, modern dictatorships filter all Internet traffic, so people only get to see what they're supposed to see.

Journalists sometimes manage to get (or smuggle) some information out there, but generally it is unknown in the West what the real living circumstances of people are. When you visit the country, you are assigned a guide (who is a steadfast supporter of the ruling party), who makes sure you only see and hear what you should. That was the same in the USSR and still is the same in China, for instance (although, in China, things are more lax now).

 

[iFart]

No, I think the worst are the dictatorships in Africa, they employ the most cruel of tortures ... once I saw a report about a torture device fair, and the African dictatorships are their best customers. You really don't wanna know.

The worst thing about North Korea is that people don't have enough food, b/c the system there is apparently comparably backward, and ineffective.

I mean when Germany was separated into East and West, with the East (the GDR) being a communist dictatorship, people there had enough food even if they didn't have many choices. And in the former USSR (former Soviet Russia), people didn't always have enough food, and had to queue in lines for several blocks just to get food from some shop, they still fared pretty well. But North Korean people are really bad off.



Internet is regulated over there, I doubt the common man has access to the Internet there, and even if so, modern dictatorships filter all Internet traffic, so people only get to see what they're supposed to see.

Journalists sometimes manage to get (or smuggle) some information out there, but generally it is unknown in the West what the real living circumstances of people are. When you visit the country, you are assigned a guide (who is a steadfast supporter of the ruling party), who makes sure you only see and hear what you should. That was the same in the USSR and still is the same in China, for instance (although, in China, things are more lax now).

this is just sick .. i don't get it why do they keep doing this, after all there is no country stay forever
it will fall someday and on that day he will get murder by citizens
but where is america ? they are trying to show 3rd world countries " Peace "
what about N.Korea why don't they attack them ? i know they have nuclear weapons, but USA has better technology
and im pretty sure they have some way to stop nuclear bombs until they can controll off N.Korea
this is so unfair..

 

[Monster]

this is just sick .. i don't get it why do they keep doing this, after all there is no country stay forever it will fall someday and on that day he will get murder by citizens

You mean like Mussolini? Hung upside down by the people and beaten to a pulp? Who knows ... the situation seems to be pretty complicated, so it might take decades or centuries even until the government there changes.

but where is america ? they are trying to show 3rd world countries " Peace "
what about N.Korea why don't they attack them ? i know they have nuclear weapons, but USA has better technology
and im pretty sure they have some way to stop nuclear bombs until they can controll off N.Korea

China is North Korea's protective power and the USA would risk war with China. Also, North Korea's army is the world's 4th largest (and probably well equipped too ... at the expense of the people).

Also, North Korea possesses long range missiles capable of transporting nuclear bombs to every spot in the USA.

Meanwhile, the US nuclear arsenal is rusting away in its bunkers. I've heard somewhere they're probably not properly maintained b/c that would cost billions.

So, if there was a war between North Korea and the USA, especially when China is involved, then chances are that the USA would not only be destroyed but also be conquered afterwards. US citizens would have to learn Chinese, probably.

this is so unfair..

Yes, there's still a lot of injustice in this world.

If I had the (alien or very advanced) technology, I would transport all military in the world to a planet far away, where they have a cozy place full of flowers and rainbows, and all that would happen within the same millisecond, so no-one would have time to object.