Kim Jong-il is dead [Main Thread]

[TigerLikesRooster]

Kim Jong-il is dead

[xjcsa]

But then, it’s been a bad year when Amy Winehead, Mick Jagger, and Jerry Seinfeld all died!

Haha what on Earth are you talking about?

[Enchante]

I imagine there are many grave risks right now about how the succession may go in NK and whether it will create crises for neighbors with either refugees and/or military activities, but can anyone think of plausible opportunities to better the situation in NK and the region?

i.e, are there any kind of statements or actions from free countries that could offer a hope of positive change in NK?

[Roscoe Karns]

[Revolting cat!]

I have dibs on Kim’s parkas and on his porno collection!

[Paleo Conservative]

Klaus Nomi - Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead

[AmericanInTokyo]

Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan states just now that they cannot confirm nor clarify as to who the SUCCESSOR to Kim Jong Il is, at this time. Information collection and confirmation efforts are continuing vigorously. Situation rather murky. 12:30 a.m. Eastern Monday.

[CT]

He expired before his communist “use-by” date. Now he becomes a charter member of OCCUPY HELL.

[AmericanInTokyo]

It is most fitting you, the great TLR, could be the one to announce this historic event on FR (and right to the point at that), considering your years of in depth reporting and analysis on this regime for the benefit of tens of thousands of Freepers and other observers. Kamsahamnidda and hats off. Not uncorking the champagne just yet because we don't know what the hell this is, what has happened, if he was murdered, if there will be a coup d' etat against the Boy, what China will do, S. Korean military on alert, Japan saying they cannot confirm who the leader of North Korea is at this time, etc. etc. Whisky, maybe. But not champagne. (12:25 a.m. Eastern Monday, 9:25 p.m. Pacific Sunday)

[Revolting cat!]

Well, it’s really too bad. Serious. I’ve just heard, on this forum, as a matter of fact, that Bob Dole hisself was about to endorse Kim for POTUS.

[CT]

AP: No word on who his next of “Kim” are.

[MonicaG]

We still have 30k troops in the DMZ? Prayers up.

[justa-hairyape]

Had anyone heard any rumors before an hour ago?

There were some border guards that recently defected, but that is kinda normal.

[gogogodzilla]

I swear to G-d, our forces in South Korea freak out at the drop of a hat.

“EEK, lil Kimmie died! DEFCON 1, NOW NOW NOW!!!”

G-d forbid they actually decide to look at the alert posture of the North Korean forces before making any sort of decision on this crap!

General Buck Turgidson would be proud.

[Enchante]

WOW that sounds very serious, potentially. One would think that if the son’s succession were firm they would have been announcing it promptly to avoid uncertainty and unrest.

Especially considering that they may have had 48 hours to get their act together (plus more time if insiders were aware of Kim’s imminent demise?).....

Can you say power struggle?

[TigerLikesRooster]

We both have waited for this moment for who knows how long. Finally, it has arrived. Thanks for you comment. For better or worse, one page of (very sorry) history is finally over. It is about time. I knew he would die sooner than most have predicted. I guess he smoked too much, to the dismay of his doctors.:-)

[AmericanInTokyo]

The plan of succession has been made. Whether it will be carried out is the big question now. The general Korean Workers Party leadership's consensus is the Boy is just not ready yet, so there will be a Royal Chamberlain of sorts to mentor the kid and be the true head of DPRK, with Kim Jong Eun as titular head. However, there is where the coup detat could come in. You can see why they are edgy about any foreign observers in DPRK right now, and I suspect any Western or Chinese tour groups in there have either been sent packing or will have their tours cut short by today or tomorrow and kicked out of the country. They want to hermetically seal it. It will be very very hard to know exactly what is going on. We can only try our best through our various assets.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Analysis coming from Maehara, former Foreign Minister (of ruling DPJ here in Tokyo) is that we now enter a period of possible civil war and outflow of refugees. He is not discounting it, in national TV. I hope he is incorrect. He is just saying what COULD happen. Man things are TENSE TODAY.

[The Free Engineer]

The only reason this is sad is because he escaped justice in this world.

[MonicaG]

God I hate knowing the North Koreans starving living in constant fear of being reported, especially when I see an image of that fat b*stard. I read Aquariums of Pyongyang 7-8 years ago and have been praying for the North Koreans ever since.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Update: from Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Ilbo

Line-up of the funeral committee

No. 1 Kim Jong-eun (son and heir apparent)
No. 14 Kim Kyung-hee (sister)
No. 19 Jang Sung-taek (Kim Kyung-hee’s husband)

All airplanes in and out of S. Korea would carry extra fuel and take detour, safely away from N. Korean airspace

Health authorities of S. Korea is on bio-terror watch

N. Korea is currently under blanket curfew.

Funeral Plan:

Kim Jong-il’s body is placed in Kumsusan Memorial Palace(where his father Kim Il-sung is placed)

Funeral will be held on Dec. 28, 2011

Mourning period is until Dec. 29.

Central Memorial rally in Pyongyang is on Dec. 29.
Each town and province will hold their own memorial rally on the same day.

No foreign dignitaries will be invited.