North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies at 69
He suffered massive heart attack, state news agency says
PYONGYANG, North Korea — Kim Jong Il, North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic longtime leader, has died of heart failure. He was 69.
In a "special broadcast" Monday from the North Korean capital, state media said Kim died of a heart ailment on a train due to a "great mental and physical strain" on Dec. 17 during a "high intensity field inspection." It said an autopsy was done on Dec. 18 and "fully confirmed" the diagnosis.
A spokesperson at the Unification Ministry confirmed to NBC News that Kim died on Saturday.
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.
Remember that the center power within North Korea lies with the military. Who ever is named leader of the Central Military Council will be the true leader of that nation.
Big questions are what will actually happen to North Korea?
Will it fall apart
Provoke a political or military crisis
Remember the North Korean economy has failed.
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