(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 27, 2011: Comprehensive daily news related to North Korea for the world of TODAY.
*Comprehensive daily news related to North Korea Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY.
DTN News - December 27, 2011: North Korea Prepares Huge Send-Off For Late Leader
North Korea was Tuesday preparing a massive ceremonial farewell to late leader Kim Jong-il as it strove to strengthen a new personality cult around his youthful son and successor Jong-un. The secretive state has so far given no details whatever of Wednesday's funeral for its "Dear Leader" of the past 17 years.
But analysts say the regime, as it did in 1994 when Kim Jong-il's own father died, will use the event to shore up loyalty to the new leader and will likely mobilize hundreds of thousands of people. The untested Jong-un, aged only in his late 20s, has been thrust into the world spotlight since his father died suddenly on December 17 aged 69. Official media has added several titles to his flimsy CV, declaring him "great successor", supreme commander of the world's fourth-largest military and head of the ruling party's powerful Central Committee. The son, who has not yet been formally appointed to the party and military posts, has been the central figure in scenes of mourning at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where his father lies in state in a glass coffin. On Monday he met the leaders of two South Korean delegations at the palace, expressing "deep gratitude" for their presence, according to official media. South Korea, which has remained technically at war with the North for six decades, has responded cautiously to the shake-up in its nuclear-armed neighbour. Unlike in 1994, the Seoul government expressed sympathy to the North's people and made other conciliatory gestures. But it authorized mourning visits to Pyongyang by just the two South Korean delegations, a restriction that the North termed "inhuman". Lee Hee-ho, widow of late South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, and Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun paid respects Monday to the late leader and expressed condolences to Jong-un.
Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il held the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000 and Hyundai pioneered cross-border business projects. While Kim Jong-il had 20 years to prepare for the communist world's only dynastic succession, Jong-un has had barely three. Analysts will closely watch the funeral for possible clues about who will have most influence with him. Jong-un, "great successor to the Juche (self-reliance) revolutionary cause and sagacious leader of our party, state, army and people, is at the helm of the Korean revolution", the North's news agency reported early Tuesday. South Korean media, basing their predictions on arrangements for the 1994 funeral, said the obsequies would likely begin at 10:00 am Wednesday, with Jong-un and senior officials paying final respects at the memorial palace. They said the military was expected to fire a 24-gun salute and troops would march through central Pyongyang, accompanying a limousine carrying Kim's coffin and another car with a giant photo. Military marching bands would play funeral music while convoys of motorcycles and cars carrying flowers and senior officials would follow the coffin as hundreds of thousands looked on, the media forecast. Mourning will officially end Thursday with a nationwide memorial service including a three-minute silence, the North's media has reported. On Tuesday the South Korean delegations, who were to return later Wednesday across the heavily fortified border, met the North's de facto head of state and parliament chief Kim Yong-nam, state media reported. Lee and Hyun expressed hope that declarations agreed at summits in 2000 and 2007 would be implemented, it said. On their way home they stopped off at the Kaesong industrial estate just north of the border — the last major joint venture still functioning, the South's Yonhap news agency reported. The complex, utilising the North's labour in Seoul-owned light industries, has survived high cross-border tensions of recent years.
The aid worker who lives in the North Korean capital, and spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the city is largely operating as normal but lies ...
Photo: AFP But Mr Kim's death has shifted the agenda to worries about nuclear-armed North Korea, where his untested son Kim Jong-un appears to be taking the ...
Police told an AFP reporter at the scene that the embassy would remain off limits to non-North Koreans for at least one day. "You can't have a visa today," ...
"I started live streaming three years ago mainly to let people here witness what North Korea is really like," Lim, 47, told AFP. North Korean television is ...
"Postings and sites that praise North Korea or glorify its leaders are also ... as they increased rapidly this year," team leader Han Myeong-Ho told AFP. ...
Jeung Young-Tae of the South's Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP theNorth was "trying to foster division" with its offer and would exploit ...
With the Army and Navy being established in 1897 and 1898, how could AFP Day be ... unit as its contribution to a United Nations effort against North Korea. ...
ASSOCIATED PRESS Anti North Korea activists attend a rally to protest the South Korean ...AFP/Getty Images Elyssabeth Fuller, 12, one of over 40 people who ...
"I do want to take a minute, because of the North Korean situation, ... upsetting factor" in the party's nomination process, Goldford told AFP by telephone. ...
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DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: Japan Picks Lockheed F-35 Fighter As Allies Stress Tight Ties Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 20, 2011: Japan picked Lockheed Martin's F-35 jet as its next mainstay fighter Tuesday, choosing the aircraft over combat-proven but less stealthy rivals, as concern simmers over North Korea and as China introduces its own stealth fighters.
The decision came as Japan and the United States stressed that their security alliance was tight in the face of worry about an unstable North Korea after the death of its leader, Kim Jong-il.
Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa said the decision to buy 42 of the stealth aircraft, valued by analysts at more than $7 billion, would help Japan adjust to a changing security environment after Monday's announcement of the death of the 69-year-old North Korean leader.
"The security environment surrounding future fighter jets is transforming. The F-35 has capabilities that can firmly respond to the changes," Ichikawa told reporters.
Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon hailed Japan's selection of the F-35, saying it would help establish a strategic, conventional deterrent in the Asia-Pacific region, where concern simmers about instability under Kim's successor, his untested youngest son, Kim Jong-un.
"The F-35 Program Office looks forward to strengthening partnerships with Japan, and contributing to enhanced security throughout the Asia Pacific region," the Pentagon said in a statement after Japan announced its decision.
The F-35, which is in an early production stage, competed against Boeing's F/A-18 and the Eurofighter Typhoon, made by a consortium of European companies including BAE Systems.
Experts said the decision to opt for the U.S. plane, made informally well before news of Kim's death, reflected Japan's desire to tighten U.S. ties in the face of concern over China's rising military might and other regional uncertainties.
"It reflects Japan's recognition on a variety of levels that at a time of greater insecurity, it needs to be more deeply engaged with the United States on security issues," said Brad Glosserman, executive director at Honolulu's Pacific Forum CSIS.
In a sign the allies meant to stand together, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by telephone to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and underscored the U.S. commitment to its allies, the White House said.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference that Washington and its two close Asia allies, Japan and South Korea, were likely to hold high-level talks on North Korea soon. "The date has not been decided but it will be at the soonest possible opportunity," he said.
U.S.-Japan relations had frayed after the novice Democratic Party of Japan took power in 2009 for the first time, vowing to recalibrate the alliance on a more equal basis and attempting, unsuccessfully, to keep a pledge to move a U.S. military base off Japan's Okinawa island.
Noda, who took office last September, has firmly shifted gears back to a more traditional security stance.
"Once again, Japan's security policy is right back to the post-war Japanese mainstream -- the decision that the U.S. is Japan's best security partner," Glosserman said.
Japan had been widely expected to choose the F-35 due to its advanced stealth capability and U.S. origin. Stealth technology has drawn much attention in Japan since China, which has a long-running territorial dispute with Japan, in January confirmed it had held its first test flight of the J-20 stealth fighter jet.
Despite Sino-Japanese tension over territorial feuds, maritime resources and a bitter wartime past, Noda will nonetheless be seeking China's cooperation in coping with North Korea when he visits Beijing on December 25-26.
"Instructions from the prime minister were that we need to establish close cooperation and exchange of information with the United States, South Korea and China, so we will seek to work with China on this understanding," Fujimura said.
BOOST FOR LOCKHEED MARTIN
Japan's choice of the F-35 comes as a shot in the arm for Lockheed Martin's F-35 program, which has been restructured twice in the past two years and is expected to boost the odds that South Korea will follow suit with its own order for 60 fighters. Japan will pay 9.9 billion yen per fighter including backup parts in the initial stage of procurement.
"This program badly needed an endorsement like this, particularly one from a technically respected customer. But there are still many complications, especially price tag and work share demands," said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the U.S.-based Teal Group.
He said the F-35 program was facing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and officials who need to trim hundreds of billions of dollars from the defense budget over the next decade. Boeing's loss of the order would be a real setback for the company's prospects in the fighter business, especially since there were few other large competitions open anymore, said Loren Thompson of Lexington Institute.
"The market place is signaling to Boeing that its days in the fighter business may be numbered," Thompson said.
Japanese firms Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd , IHI Corp and Mitsubishi Electric Corp will participate in the production and maintenance of the F-35, the Defense Ministry said.
A Lockheed Martin official said Japanese defense contractors could become global suppliers to the F-35 stealth fighter program if Japan's government decided to ease a decades-old ban on exports of military equipment. "The Japanese aerospace industry is world class, so if there was a relaxation (of the export ban) it would be very logical for them to have the opportunity and indeed it would be a very good opportunity to participate in the F35 global supply chain," Dave Scott, director of international business development for the stealth fighter, told Reuters. Japan is considering easing the export ban, a step that might allow its contractors to bid for contracts in the United States, which spends 10 times as much on its military. Ending the ban would also allow Japan to buy aircraft, ships, missiles and other equipment more cheaply by allowing domestic manufacturers to tap overseas markets and lower production costs through economies of scale.
DTN News - NORTH KOREA ~ KIM JONG IL DEAD: Missile fired, Shares Fall As North Korea Mourns Kim Jong-il's Death • Kim Jong-il, North Korea's 'Dear Leader', dies aged 69 • Kim Jong-il died 'after stroke or heart attack on train' • Kim Jong-un annointed 'great successor' • Death sparks hysterical outpouring of grief in North Korea • Obituary: Kim Jong-il Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources DTN News Archives - Telegraph (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 19, 2011: It was next year that Kim Jong-il was finally supposed to deliver for his people. North Korea, he had long promised, would become a “strong and prosperous nation” in 2012, in time to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of his father, the country’s founder Kim il-Sung.
Latest
13.23 As the US wakes up, the State Departmenttweets that Barack Obama has talked with his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak:
13.15 The AFP news agency has done a useful Question & Answer piece - one question that caught the eye in particular is what will happen now? They say that Kim's body will lie in state in Kumsusan palace where the embalmed body of his father - Kim Il-Sung, the founder and "eternal leader" of North Korea who died in 1994 - is on display.
After Kim's funeral on December 28, thoughts will turn to the succession but there are few details as to how it will be carried out. Kim Jong-Un's status as heir apparent was only made clear in September 2010.
Even Kim Jong-Il, who was openly groomed for the leadership and designated as successor some 14 years before his own father died, did not formally take over the leadership of the ruling party for three years afterwards.
12.55 More on North Korea test-firing a short-range missile off its east coast - South Korea's Yonhap news agency is quoting an unnamed government official as saying the missile launch was unrelated to the announcement that Kim had died.
The missile is believed to have a range of about 72 miles, he said.
12.45pm Amid the bizarre images of the day, here is the South Koreancabinet holding an emergency meeting. They appear to be wearing yellow boiler suits. The South Korean president ordereded all government employees to be on emergency alert, a measure that would restrict their unauthorised leaves and put them on standby. Presumably that is where these dashing suits come in?
South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak presides over an emergency Cabinet meeting in Seoul
As is often the case in totalitarian states with no meaningful contact with the outside world, we can expect the authorities in Pyongyang to be gripped bv intense paranoia as they attempt a seamless transition of power. Any false move by one of North Korea's many perceived enemies could have the regime reaching for the panic button, which is never a reassuring thought when you are dealing with an inherently unstable country that also happens to be armed with nuclear weapons.
12.22pm Burma, who are in the midst of their own political transition right now, but aren't exactly bastions of democracy, has said they believe "things can change" in North Korea after Kim's death.
Myanmar will convey its condolences over the demise of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.
We do not know much about his successor, his son. But we think things can change in his term, especially their economic policy.
12.20pmTelegraph TV has a video on the life and times of Kim Jong-il:
12.17pm Professor Steve Tsang, director of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham, who specialises in East Asian political and security issues.
The death of Kim Jong-il represents a real opportunity for the United States to seize the initiative to secure long-term stability on the Korean Peninsula.
At present, as the North Korean leadership debates internally over which direction the country will take, the reclusive state has two options: maintain the status quo or embrace the Chinese model of economic reform.
The US must ensure Pyongyang has a third option to consider: that the US and South Korea will provide support and subsidies to help North Korea develop and modernise in return for the abandonment of its nuclear weapons programme.”
11.54am It is worth noting that rumours about Kim Jong-il's health have persisted for years. The Times reported back in 2008 that an image of Mr Kim, posing with the North Korean army, was a fake. In the photo, the shadow cast by his calves ran a different direction from that of the soldiers on either side of him, while a black line running along the strand on which the soldiers were position disappeared when it got to Kim.
Questions have been asked as to whether Kim Jong-il has been photoshopped into this photograph of a parade of troops
11.40am The Telegraph's Richard Alleyne, who is camped outsideNorth Korea's London embassy, in Ealing, says not too much activity outside, but South Korean television have apparently got very excited a man who brought flowers. They think he looks like the late leader and are checking to see if he is a relative. As far the emabssy itself goes, Richard writes:
All quiet at the People's republic of north acton. Only one mourner all morning and no one is answering the door.
The embassy is an Edwardian house along an ordinary suburban street in west London. The only evidence that it is an embassy is a plaque on the door and a wood carving of a hydro electric plant. Black Mercedes are parked in the drive and in the back garden there is a basketball hoop.
11.36am Korean Central News Agency says a National Funeral Committee has been formed. Kim Jong-un, unsurprisingly, is at the top of the list. His funeral, by the way, is due to take place on December 28.
11.27amBreaking on Reuters: North Korea test fired a short-range missile this morning. Most likely to let the world know that things are not going to change.
It depicts Jong-il as an evil dictator attempting to conquer the world while openly mocking his limited English. He was featured as a singing dictator who was lonely – or “ronrey” – while living in his large opulent palace.
Stone, 40, and Parker, 42, also wrote the screenplay and supplied voices of many of the characters to the cult movie. Parker voiced Kim’s voice. Neither have commented about the death.
What is sure is that the country presents a greater proliferation danger than any other on the planet.
North Korea was the key source of the material sold by Abdul Qadeer Khan to Iran, Libya and Syria. It is believed to be continuing its assistance to Iran.
An explosion at a military facility in Iran 10 days ago was reported to have killed several North Korean engineers.
11.15am Former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, one of the few "developed-nation" leaders ever to have had direct talks with Kim, said he was a "straight talker". Mr Koizumi visited Kim in 2002 and 2004. He said his death was "unfortunate" and might represent a lost opportunity to reintegrate Pyongyang with the outside world.
What I remember from the talks is that, rather than the dark image that one might have of a dictator, he was very upbeat and directly spoke his mind.
It's unfortunate because I wished the path toward normalised relations (between Japan and North Korea) would have been paved while General Secretary Kim was still well, after having resolved the abduction, nuclear and missile problems.
11.13am The German government has said the death of Kim offers a "chance" for positive change, much like Britain and France before them.
This is of course a chance for things to change there but our expectations remain the same: that North Korea gives up its nuclear programme, that the catastrophic social situation of its own people improves and that it declares itself ready to open up in the political and economic spheres.
11.10am Some more on Kim's greatest 'achievements' from The Telegraph's Julian Ryall. Clearly destined for greatness from an early age - he was learning to walk aged three weeks.
At junior high school in Pyongyang, he corrected and chastised his teachers for incorrectly interpreting history with images of teachers bowed before the future leader of the nation – already a little on the paunchy side.
Moving on to higher education, he found time to write 1,500 books during his three years at Kim Il-sung University, from where he graduated in 1964, and penned six full operas in two years – "all of which are better than any in the history of music," his biography gushes.
Turning his hand to major architectural feats, he designed the Tower of the Juche Idea, a 170-metre-tall monolith on the east bank of the Taedong River in Pyongyang that is topped by a glowing red flame.
10.55 Tim Shipman, The Daily Mail's Deputy Political Editor, Tweetsabout one of Kim's more outlandish habits:
10.54amMike Chinoy, a former CNN Correspondent, with 15 visits to North Korea, and the author of 'Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis, has spoken about the short-term consequences of Kim's death:
In the short run, the system is going to continue more or less as-is… The deeper questions come over the long term, in the sense that Kim Jong-un is very young, he’s still quite inexperienced, not very much is known about him, and so there are lots of questions about what he’s going to do. Will he be able to consolidate his power, will he be essentially a figurehead?
10.50am It is worth remembering, that amid all the jokes, Team America references and bizarre facts, an estimated two million people have died since the 1990s due to food shortages triggered by economic mismanagement and natural disasters.
An estimated one-third of all children in North Korea are stunted by malnutrition caused by ongoing food shortages, according to the UN children's fund. Guido Fawkes has posted a very powerful picture on his blog.
4 June 2003: Kim Jong-il inspects a farm run by Korean People's Army unit 534 in North Korea
10.39am Julian Ryall has broken down Kim Jong-il's various relationships over the years. Kim, perhaps an unlikely sex symbol, had long-term relationships with at least seven women and fathered four children apparently. It all stems from his stepmother.
He has spoken to Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and author of numerous books on the North Korean leadership:
He had problems with his new mother when he was growing up and that coloured his relationships with women when he was older...
But we also have to remember that the situation in North Korea is unlike anywhere else in the modern world. This is a dynasty with a king at the top; he could do exactly what he wanted."
10.28am If ever there was a picture to highlight the difference between both Koreas, then surely this is it - satellite picture at night. Note how one side is lit up, the other... is not.
A satellite image of the Korean peninsula illustrated with the outline of North Korea
10.20am Konstantin Pulikovskiy, the Kremlin's former special representative in the far East, has spoken about when he met Kim Jong-il, both pre- and post-stroke. For his money, he does not see any regime change on the horizon:
I saw Kim Jong-il before his stroke, I was travelling with him, and at the time he did not have any health problems. I saw him after the stroke and it was like night and day. I think that the main reason for his death was precisely the consequences of his stroke...
It seems that there will not be any upheaval in North Korea in the short term. Kim Jong-il managed to do everything to preserve his regime by appointing his son as his heir.
10.18am France has become the latest country to react to Kim Jong-il's death. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, has echoed William Hague's sentiment:
We are very watchful of the consequences of this succession, hoping that one day the people of North Korea will be able to find freedom.
Pyongyang residents mourn the death of leader Kim Jong-il
9.44am The Telegraph's Obituaries team have compiled a fascinating read about the Dear Leader. On the one hand, he was a spoiled playboy, with a passion for Rambo and Daffy Duck videos, but on the other, he developed an all-pervasive personality cult, shielded the whole country from the rest of the world, and held on to power for nearly five decades:
Kim il Sung had maintained his grip on power through "Juche" – a philosophy based on an eccentric blend of Stalinist repression, an all-pervasive personality cult, total isolation from the outside world and paranoid hostility towards South Korea and its capitalist allies. Over nearly five decades in power he had reduced his country to a destitute fortress-state with a standing army of 1.2 million out of a population of some 20 million. The combination of barbarism, isolation and eccentricity was an Orwellian nightmare beside which Enver Hoxha's Albania seemed a bastion of liberal enlightenment.
9.40am Telegraph TV has more video on hysterical grieving in North Korea. It begs the question, how do you react when your 'god' dies?
9.22am Aiden Foster-Carter, a British expert on North Korea, has spoken about Kim Jong-un, the 'great successor', and his complete lack of experience.
Kim Jong-un is completely untried, indeed he has been plunged into this, with only two years to prepare.
So far we have no reason to think he has the abilities to exercise power in his own right.
The military make look at this callow youth and say ok we can use him as a figurehead or it may go the other way and we get a full military regime, a ruling council. The party had rather atrophied under Kim Jong-il until it came together to back Kim Jong-un for the leadership.
There may be some rivalries there that would help him. So it's a question of whether he will go with the grain or decide to be bold and open up to the international community.
9.14am Kim Jong-il is predictably trending on Twitter. At the moment, the UK's top 10 trends include: "Kim Jong", "Team America", "North Korea" and "Dear Leader".
Kim Jong-il reportedly began an affair with actress Song Hye-rim in 1968 who gave birth three years later to Kim Jong-nam - which was kept secret from Kim Jong-Il until 1975. After learning of his son, Kim Jong-il began to groom him for a future leadership role - although that came to an abrupt end in May 2001 when he was arrested trying to enter Japan on a forged Dominican Republic passport with two women and a boy aged 4. He told Japanese polce that he wanted to visit Disneyland and there are reports that he was a frequent visitor to the red light districts of Tokyo.
Using the Chinese alias Pang Xiong, which can be read as "fat bear," Kim Jong-nam's arrest was humiliating for his father, who was forced to cancel a state visit to China.
Kim Jong-Nam reportedly has two wives, at least one mistress and several children and continues to live in exile in Macau. His son, Han-sol, is believed to have been born in 1995 to his second wife, Lee Hye-Kyong, and recently enrolled at the United World College in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzogovina.
Kim Jong-Il's next companion was Ko Young-hee, who was a dancer born in Osaka in 1953 and the mother of Kim Jong-chul, a member of the central committee of the party, a daughter, Kim Sul-song, and Kim Jong-un, who has been given the task of continuing the family regime.
9.04am For those of you who might not remember what I was talking about regarding Team America (8.10am), please watch this musical masterpiece. Say what you like about South Park's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, but they know how to create a catchy tune - Mormons can testify.
8.42am Benedict Brogan, The Daily Telegraph's Deputy Editor, comments that Kim Jong-il's death adds a "whole new element of instability to our already shaky world" in his Morning briefing.
When Kim Jong-il, the North Korean dictator, was born, “a bright star lit up the sky, the seasons spontaneously changed from winter to spring, and rainbows appeared” (according to the North Korean Communist Party).
So far, his death early this morning hasn’t produced any of that, but it does add a whole new element of instability to our already shaky world. William Hague has issued a carefully worded statement...
South Korea has put its military on alert, while Kim Jong-un, the dictator's 28 year old son, has been promoted. The death is likely to dominate the news agenda.
Converted from a seven-bedroom house built in the 1920s, the embassy is a far cry from the opulent Mayfair and Kensington mansions that make up most of London's foreign diplomatic missions. When it first opened in 2003, it was plunged straight into a bitter planning dispute with Ealing Council, which objected to its grandiose portico entrance with pillars.
But in contrast with Pyongyang's hostile relations with Japan and South Korea, it maintains a good neighbours policy when it comes to fellow occupants of Gunnersbury Avenue.
"The ambassador is a lovely chap, very friendly," said a man living next door. He claimed that people in the neighbourhood were untroubled by having in their midst the outpost of a nation notorious for slave labour camps and weapons of mass destruction.
8.30am And for those of you wanting a reminder about his father, look no further than Julian Ryall's profile of Kim Jong-il. Kim was clearly destined for greatness from an early age. He was apparently talking at eight weeks old, wrote six operas and once hit a 38-under-par during his first ever round of golf.
Kim led a privileged life after the war as North Korea made use of its natural resources and received assistance from Moscow and, later, Beijing while the United States increased its commitment to the government in South Korea.
The cult of personality that was built up around his father was equally heaped upon Kim as he was groomed to be the first dynastic successor of a communist regime.
8.28am Kim Jong-un the 'great successor', will be thrown into the spotlight more than ever before. For those of you who want to know more about him, The Telegraph's Danielle Demetriou has done a handy guide. He has been dubbed a style guru thanks to his haircut, which has been labelled the "youth" or "ambition" cut, and he is apparently a massive Michael Jordan fan.
8.10am He may have been a dangerous dictator, but to many younger readers, Kim Jong-il was a widely mocked figure, perhaps best remembered for his star turn in Team America, by the creators of South Park.
Kim Jong-il in Team America
8am William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, has released a statement on Kim Kong-il's death:
The people of N Korea are in official mourning after the death of Kim Jong Il. We understand this is a difficult time for them.
This could be a turning point for North Korea. We hope that their new leadership will recognise that engagement with the international community offers the best prospect of improving the lives of ordinary North Korean people.
We encourage North Korea to work for peace and security in the region and take the steps necessary to allow the resumption of the Six Party Talks on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
7.57am In the wake of the Dear Leader's death, this video is going somewhat viral on YouTube. It has been viewed as of now 142,800+ times. Fact number 10: He once attempted to breet giant rabbits to alleviate famine in North Korea. Fact number nine - he claimed to have invented the hamburger... you get the idea.
7.40am Telegraph TV has found some video footage of the aforementioned tearful TV presenter (see 6.55am) announcing Kim Jong-il's death.
The announcer said that the 69-year old had died of physical and mental over-work on his way to give "field guidance".
"I'm announcing in the most woeful mind that our great leader Kim Jong-il passed away due to sudden illness on his way to a field guidance on December 17, 2011," said the news presenter.
7.30am Whilst most of the 24 million North Koreans will be genuinely distraught by the death of the 'Dear Leader', the end of Kim Jong-il's tyrannical reign has increased the chill of uncertainty across the region. The Telegraph's Peter Simpson writes:
Kim's regular war and mind games, which saw on one hand overtures towards denuclearisation negotiations, and on the other random torpedoing of submarines and artillery bombardments of the South, regularly put Beijing, the Korean peninsular and Tokyo on red alert.
Yet the leadership acumen of his hereditary successor Kim Jong-Un, his 20-something youngest son, as "supreme leader" and a four-star general, is today causing equally grave concern among Pyongyang’s neighbours and in Washington.
Will the young Kim seek to show off to his new and expectant subjects the same verve and might of his father by launching a symbolic military strike against the “US imperialist-led” South?
7.25am Little is known about the 'Great Successor' Kim Jong-un, but al-Jazeera last year posted some footage of his formative years - what is believed to be a young Kim at school in Switzerland.
7.10am China, North Korea's regional neighbour, has become the latest country to offer its "deep condolences" on the death of Kim.
We were distressed to learn of the unfortunate passing of the senior-most North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, and we express our grief about this and extend our condolences to the people of North Korea.
7.06am Philip J Crowley, the former US State Department spokesman, has give some snap analysis for the future of North Korea via Twitter, putting a dampner who those who think his death might trigger an Arab-Spring-style sweep of reform:
6.55am Here is a picture of the tearful news reader dressed in black as she announces the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on North Korean state television.
6.50am Japan has expressed its condolences over the death of Kim Jong-il. The Telegraph's Julian Ryall files this report:
The Japanese government expressed its condolences on Monday over the death of Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea, but simultaneously told officials to be prepared for potential instability.
"We express our condolences upon receiving the announcement of the sudden passing of Kim Jong-Il, the chairman of the National Defence Committee of North Korea," Osamu Fujimura, the chief government spokesman, said after an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.
"The Japanese government hopes that this unexpected development will not have any adverse impact on the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula," he added.
Yoshihiko Noda, the prime minister, cancelled a speaking engagement on Monday morning and has instructed government officials to be prepared for all possible contingencies.
Monitoring of the situation in North Korea has also been stepped up and officials have been to stay in close contact with their counterparts in the United States, South Korea and China.
Kim's death has apparently caught analysts off-guard, with Masashi Nishihara, president of the Research Institute for Peace and Security, saying it had been believed that the North Korean leader had been recovering after a serious illness - believed to have been a stroke - three years ago.
6.30am Japan has held a hastily prepared ministerial meeting on national security. Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said:
We hope this sudden event does not have an adverse effect on the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula.
Prime Minister (Yoshihiko) Noda told members of the security meeting to strengthen information gathering efforts, work closely and share information with relevant states including the United States, South Korea and China, and to prepare for any unexpected circumstances. The government hopes to take appropriate action as needed.
6.25am UPDATED Obama and South Korea's Lee have discussed Kim Jong-Il's death, White House sources have said. Earlier this morning, a White House spokesman said the US was "closely monitoring" reports that Kim Jong-il had died.
6.15am North Korea has described Kim's youngest son as the "great successor"
6am Here is a profile of Kim Jong-un from The Telegraph's Malcolm Moore. Kim Jong-un is expected to succeed his late father.
Such is the secrecy of North Korea, the Hermit Kingdom, that until he was 20-years-old, no one even knew that Kim Jong-un existed.
The first mention of Kim Jong-il's third, and favourite, son, came in the memoirs of a Japanese sushi chef who claims he became a drinking companion of North Korea's "Dear Leader".
Kim Jong-un was born to his father's third wife, Ko Yong-Hi, who reportedly died of breast cancer in 2004.
The only photograph of the younger Kim, who is likely to succeed his father imminently, is a grainy black-and-white snapshot taken when he was 11-years-old.
5.50am North Korea has urged its 24 million people to rally behind 20-something heir-apparent Kim Jong-un as the nation mourned the death of supreme leader Kim Jong-il.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (L) and his son and designated heir Kim Jong-un
5.30am Oil slipped has slipped below $93 a barrel in Asia as crude followed the region's stock markets lower after North Korea announced the death of leader Kim Jong-il.
Benchmark crude for January delivery was down 78 cents to $92.75 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 34 cents to settle at $93.53 on Friday.
In London, Brent crude was down 45 cents at $102.90 on the ICE futures exchange.
5am UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was among world leaders put on alert Sunday over the death of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il, officials said.
The United Nations has been desperately trying to raise international funds to provide food for North Korea. It appealed for $218 million dollars this year but less than 20 percent has been raised.
Ban, who is from South Korea, has in turn regularly expressed concern at the deadlock in international talks on the North's nuclear arms program. He said last week that the mood on the Korean peninsula was almost "frozen".
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told AFP:
The secretary general is aware but of the reports but we don't have an immediate reaction.
4.50am South Korea has ordered its military on emergency alert and increased border air surveillance after North Korea announced the death of its leader Kim Jong-il, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Seoul also asked its US ally, which stations 28,500 troops in the South, to step up surveillance by planes and satellites, a JCS spokesman said.
No unusual activity had been observed from the North, officials said.
President Lee Myung-bak ordered all government officials on emergency response status, meaning they are restricted from taking leave or travelling.
The North's state media, in a shock announcement, reported earlier Monday that the 69-year-old Kim died of a heart attack Saturday while on board a train during one of his field trips.
TV news report the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a Labi Yamada Denki Co. retailer in Tokyo, Japan AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama
The mercurial and enigmatic longtime leader who ran his nation with an iron rod was 69.
The state-TV announcer, wearing black and fighting back tears, made the emotional announcement on state-run television.
She said Kim died “of fatigue” while on a train.
His youngest son, Kim Jong-un, is likely to be appointed leader to continue the family dynasty that has administrated a tyrannical government since the end of the Korean War.
4.30am North Korea's Kim Jong-il has reportedle died from "a massive heart attack" while travelling on a train in Pyongyang, state media have said. The military dictator, who was 69, apparently died on Saturday but news of his death was announced early Monday morning.
But analysts say the regime, as it did in 1994 when Kim Jong-il's own father died, will use the event to shore up loyalty to the new leader and will likely mobilize hundreds of thousands of people.
As is often the case in totalitarian states with no meaningful contact with the outside world, we can expect the authorities in Pyongyang to be gripped bv intense paranoia as they attempt a seamless transition of power. Any false move by one of North Korea's many perceived enemies could have the regime reaching for the panic button, which is never a reassuring thought when you are dealing with an inherently unstable country that also happens to be armed with nuclear weapons.
Myanmar will convey its condolences over the demise of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.
All quiet at the People's republic of north acton. Only one mourner all morning and no one is answering the door.
What is sure is that the country presents a greater proliferation danger than any other on the planet.
At junior high school in Pyongyang, he corrected and chastised his teachers for incorrectly interpreting history with images of teachers bowed before the future leader of the nation – already a little on the paunchy side.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (L) and his son and designated heir Kim Jong-un
TV news report the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a Labi Yamada Denki Co. retailer in Tokyo, Japan AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama