North Korea Ends 100 Days Of Mourning For Kim Jong-il

People attend the memorial service to mark the 100th day since the death of Kim Jong Il, late top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on March 25, 2012. (Xinhua/Zhang Li)

Kim Jong Un Ends 100 Days Of Mourning In North Korea For Father -- Miami Herald/Bloomberg

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended a national 100-day mourning period for his father, Kim Jong Il, while U.S. President Barack Obama looked across the world’s most fortified border into the totalitarian state.

The younger Kim and senior party and military officials visited the mausoleum at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang to observe three minutes’ silence, “expressing high tribute to the portrait of smiling leader Kim Jong Il,” North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported today. All flags were at half staff and commemorative sirens and whistles rang nationwide at 12 p.m., KCNA said.

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More News On The End Of Mourning For North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il

DPRK holds national memorial service for late leader Kim Jong Il -- Xinhuanet

NKoreans honor Kim Jong Il as mourning period ends -- AP
North Koreans observe end of 100-day mourning period following death of leader Kim Jong Il -- Washington Post/AP
N. Korea holds national mourning for Kim Jong-Il -- AFP
Kim Jong-un visits mausoleum to mark 100th day of late leader‘s death -- Korea Herald
North Korea marks 100 days since Kim Jong Il's death -- UPI

My Comment: He will not be missed.

Kim Jong-Il’s Awful Legacy

Nukes, Missiles and Porn: Kim Jong-Il’s Awful Legacy -- Danger Room

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is dead. He leaves behind an inexperienced twentysomething son as his successor, as well as nervous questions about the future of the violent Stalinist regime. But can anyone truly replace the Dear Leader?

It'll be a tough job for anyone trying to fill his platform shoes. Kim consistently frustrated adversaries and allies alike with his mercurial ways. He tested nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in bids to shake down the United States for aid. He sold dangerous weapons tech to whichever rogue regime was buying. And towards the end of his life, he brought the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war by having his son attack South Korea in order to burnish his future military credentials.

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My Comment: No disagreements here.

North Korea`s Dictator Is Dead -- News Roundup December 19, 2011

Tears For A Tyrant: He Oppressed, Starved And Had Them Shot For 16 Years But N Koreans Mourn Death Of Kim Jong Il... As West Fears Show Of Strength From Rogue Nuclear State -- Daily Mail

* Kim Jong Il died on a train on Saturday morning from a heart attack
* Came into power in 1994, succeeding his father, Kim Il Sung
* Third son, Kim Jong Un, unveiled as successor in September 2010
* His uncle Jang Song Thaek expected to rule behind the scenes as he trains on the job
* South Korean and Japanese militaries on 'high alert'
* North Korea today test-fires short-range missile on eastern coast
* Fears of behind-the-scenes power struggle which could destabilise region
* Funeral planned for December 28 in capital of Pyongyang

Millions of wailing North Koreans today poured on to the streets in a highly orchestrated display of public mourning after the death of the country's dictator Kim Jong Il.

Prostrating themselves on the ground and sobbing uncontrollably, the Communist state's repressed population gathered in towns and villages to mark the passing of a tyrant who had impoverished his nation, caused millions to starve and shot many of his subjects. Some people were so overcome that they collapsed.

Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack while on a train on Saturday and his death was announced on state television last night. He had ruled the country since succeeding his father Kim Il Sung in 1994.

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More News On The Death Of North Korea`s Leader Kim Jong-il

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies -- L.A. Times
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dead of heart attack, state media reports -- CNN
Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader, dies -- The Guardian
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies at 69 -- MSNBC
N. Korean leader Kim dead: state TV -- AFP
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Dies At 69 -- NPR
Kim Jong-il: South Korea on high alert after North Korea confirms passing of enigmatic leader -- Christian Science Monitor
Kim Jong Il Dead at Age 69 -- Voice of America
Kim Jong Il: Dynastic Leader With Nuclear Ambition -- ABC News
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Is Dead, South Declares Alert -- RTT News
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dead -- UPI
North Korea's Kim Jong-il dies aged 69 -- The Telegraph
N. Korea Signals Kim Succession as South Braces -- Bloomberg
Kim Jong-un, 'great successor' poised to lead North Korea -- The Guardian
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies -- Financial Times

North Koreans rally around Kim Jong Il's heir -- AP
Young Heir Faces Uncertain Transition in North Korea -- New York Times
Kim Jong Il's Death: North Korea Waits for Kim Jong Un to Consolidate Power -- Time
North Korea's heir apparent, Kim Jong Un, largely an enigma -- CTV

Kim Jong-il dies aged 69: latest reaction -- The Telegraph
The life and times of a supreme leader -- Euronews
Kim Jong Il's Life: Myth, Mystery and Mayhem -- Time
Kim Jong Il's bizarre life as a pop culture icon -- CNN
North Korea’s loony leader loved hoops, Hennessy and his platform shoes -- New York Daily News
Kim Jong-il obituary -- The Guardian

Kim Jong Un: 10 Things You Might Not Know About North Korea’s New Leader -- Time
With N. Korea’s Kim Jong-il dead, who’s in charge? -- By Andrew Salmon, The Washington Times
Cigars, cognac and mass starvation: 10 facts that divide North Korea from the world -- MSNBC
With Kim Jong Il death, shock of the unknown -- CNN
What's Next for North Korea After Kim's Death? -- ABC News
The Death of Kim Jong Il: A Nightmare Before Christmas -- Howard Chua-Eoan, Time
Viewpoint: Will Kim's death aid US ties? -- Donal P. Gregg, BBC
Kim Jong-il dies: Will his son replace him as leader of North Korea? -- Donald Kirk, Christian Science Monitor
Kim’s death is one more headache for China -- Robert Haddick, Small Wars Journal

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The Death Of North Korea`s Leader Kim Jong-il -- News Updates

Kim Jong Il: Revered At Home; Remembered Outside As Repressive -- CNN

(CNN) -- North Korea's longtime leader Kim Jong Il, the embodiment of the reclusive state where his cult of personality is deeply entrenched, has died.

He was believed to be 69.

Regarded as one of the world's most-repressive leaders, Kim Jong Il always cut a slightly bizarre figure. His diminutive stature and characteristically bouffant hair have been parodied by some in the West.

"He's a mysterious person -- I think by design," said Han S. Park, director of the Center for the Study of Global Issues at the University of Georgia and a frequent visitor to North Korea. "Mystery is a source of leverage and power. It's maintaining uncertainty."

But for the citizens of his Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim was well regarded.

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More News On The Death Of North Korea`s Leader Kim Jong-il

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dead of heart attack, state media reports -- CNN
Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader, dies -- The Guardian
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies at 69 -- MSNBC
N. Korean leader Kim dead: state TV -- AFP
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Dies At 69 -- NPR
Kim Jong-il: South Korea on high alert after North Korea confirms passing of enigmatic leader -- Christian Science Monitor
Kim Jong Il Dead at Age 69 -- Voice of America
Kim Jong Il: Dynastic Leader With Nuclear Ambition -- ABC News
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Is Dead, South Declares Alert -- RTT News
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dead -- UPI
North Korea's Kim Jong-il dies aged 69 -- The Telegraph
N. Korea Signals Kim Succession as South Braces -- Bloomberg
Kim Jong-un, 'great successor' poised to lead North Korea -- The Guardian
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies -- Financial Times
North Koreans rally around Kim Jong Il's heir -- AP
With Kim Jong Il death, shock of the unknown -- CNN
Kim Jong-il dies aged 69: latest reaction -- The Telegraph
The life and times of a supreme leader -- Euronews
The Death of Kim Jong Il: A Nightmare Before Christmas -- Howard Chua-Eoan, Time
Kim Jong-il obituary -- The Guardian
Viewpoint: Will Kim's death aid US ties? -- Donal P. Gregg, BBC
Kim Jong-il dies: Will his son replace him as leader of North Korea? -- Donald Kirk, Christian Science Monitor

North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-il Is Dead

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Dies -- Washington Post

Kim Jong Il, the strangely antic and utterly ruthless heir to North Korea’s Stalinist dictatorship, died of an apparent heart attack Saturday, North Korea’s state media reported Monday. He was 69.

During his reign, he menaced the world with his nuclear ambitions and presided over a famine that killed hundreds of thousands of his subjects.

Mr. Kim formally succeeded his father, Kim Il Sung, in 1994, less than three years after the collapse of North Korea’s longtime sponsor, the Soviet Union. With the end of Soviet trade subsidies and security guarantees, Mr. Kim found himself in charge of a broken and vulnerable country.

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My Comment: This is a breaking news story. Because of it's importance, I will be updating news reports and commentary on the death of Kim Jong Il for the rest of the day.

As to what is my take .... I am glad that this dictator and mass murderer is now dead. Unfortunately .... his son and heir .... from what I have been hearing from my Korean and Chinese contacts for the past year .... has a reputation that is even worse than his father. From my perspective .... war and civil unrest is now a step close on the Korean peninsula.

On a side note .... sorry for the delay in blogging this story. Took the day off, and when I came home I heard about this. Sighhh .... it's going to be a long (but interesting) night.

The Appetites Of A Dictator

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il downs a drink during a toast with a South Korean media representitive Kum Chang-Tae in Pyongyang, North Korea Saturday August 12, 2000. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il loves his fancy food. But will he have to start eating more kimichi and less caviar if a U.N. resolution passes banning the sale of luxury goods to North Korea? (AP Photo/Yonhap)

The Unpalatable Appetites Of Kim Jong-il -- The Telegraph

While his people are left to subsist on boiled grass and ground tree bark, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il indulges shamelessly in only the world’s finest food and wines

In 2003 a Japanese sushi chef bearing the pseudonym Kenji Fujimoto penned a memoir that gave rise to the expression 'cook and tell’. The subject of Fujimoto’s indiscretion was Kim Jong-il, for whom he had served as personal chef for more than a decade. The rotund North Korean leader had greater passion for good food than for beautiful women, allowing his chef as intimate an understanding of his psyche as any of his many purported mistresses, though none of them – as far as I know – ever wrote a memoir.

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My Comment: In the meantime, this is what the average North Korean is going through .... and this is what they are eating.

North Korea's Kim Jong-il Looks Very Healthy

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A combination photo shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il posing with former U.S. President Bill Clinton (not pictured) on August 4, 2009, left, and again with a Russian delegation on May 17, 2011 in these images released by the North Korean official news agency KCNA. The photo of Kim Jong-il (right) published this week by state media shows the North Korean leader looking comparatively healthy compared to two years ago when he appeared aged and frail. KCNA via Reuters

World Watches As Kim Jong-il Returns To Health -- Scotsman

North Korea's iron leader Kim Jong-il is looking healthier by the day after seeming to be at death's door two years ago following a stroke, prompting speculation his rule may last longer than many had imagined.

Recently published images of the 69-year-old "Dear Leader" show him looking portly and pudgy-faced. That is a far cry from the sickly figure photographed in parliament in 2009 and the frail person holding on to a handrail at a military parade last year.

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Update: Does new picture illustrate Kim Jong-il's improving health? -- MSNBC

My Comment: He looks very healthy to me. I guess rumors of his impending death were greatly exaggerated.

What Is North Korea's Kim Jong-il Dreaming About?

Kim Jong-Il. Photo: REUTERS

Kim Jong-il 'Dreamed Of being Stoned' -- The Telegraph

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had nightmares of being stoned by angry members of the public.

The dictator told the late founder of the Hyundai group, Chung Ju-Yung, of having a dream that he was being stoned "first by Americans, second by South Koreans and finally by North Koreans," said Mr Chung's son, Chung Mong-Joon.

"I think Kim wanted to express that he was well aware of the desperate reality of North Korea," the younger Mr Chung said.

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My Comment: He clearly does not go to bed each night with peace of mind.

This Is One Way To Hurt The Dictator In North Korea

Kim Collects Cash For 'Private Economy' -- Washington Times

Defector suggests cutting off U.S. currency as way to punish 'Dear Leader'.

Kim Kwang-jin clearly remembers watching North Korean insurance managers pack a lavish birthday present for their "Dear Leader" — $20 million in U.S. hard currency.

He throws up his hands in exasperation as he recalls the incident, which took place while he was in Singapore in February 2003. In the six years that he worked at Korea National Insurance Corp. (KNIC), Mr. Kim said, bags stuffed with cash were sent to Pyongyang from Singapore, Switzerland, France and Austria for Kim Jong-il's birthday celebrations. Feb. 16, the North Korean leader's birthday, is a national holiday in his country.

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My Comment: A girlfriend once told me that the only way that people can learn is when they get hit in their pocket book. I am sure the same rule will apply to this tyrant .... hurt him in his own pocketbook .... maybe he will then get the message.

North Korea's Kim Jong-il Ends His Trip To China

A vehicle, part of a convoy carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, leaves Tianjin railway station

Rare Glimpse Of Kim Jong Il Shows North Korean Dictator In Good Health -- Times Online

The world has been given a rare glimpse of the reclusive leader of North Korea after he emerged from his Stalinist stronghold to visit his nearest and closest allies in Communist-ruled China.

Only after Kim Jong Il had returned home on his special armoured train today did the two state news agencies announce that the 68-year-old strongman had been touring China since Monday. He had been stalked by the foreign media since he crossed the border but the only pictures were a couple of slightly fuzzy shots snatched as he left a hotel.

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More News On Kim Jong-il's Trip To China

North Korean Leader Reaffirms Denuclearization Pledge -- Global Security Newswire
North Korea set to resume nuclear disarmament talks, says China -- The Guardian
Kim leaves China after affirming return to stalled nuclear talks -- Gulf News
Report: China, Iran, North Korea have formed strategic alliance -- World Tribune
Witness: A day chasing North Korea's camera-shy Kim -- Reuters
Secret China visit: All aboard Kim Jong-il's luxury train -- Christian Science Monitor
China's embrace of North Korea's Kim irks neighbours -- Swiss Info

My Comment: Will China make sure that Kim Jong-il keep his word .... I am skeptical, but (for now) I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Travels To China

It is Kim's first trip abroad since he suffered a suspected stroke in 2008.
Photo from Sky News

Kim Jong-il Turns To Lone Ally China Amid Rising Tensions -- The Guardian

North Korean leader on rare visit abroad seen as mission to bolster isolated regime with new economic support.

Kim Jong-il, North Korea's leader, has arrived in China on a rare foreign trip that is being seen as an attempt to win financial and political support from his impoverished nation's only remaining ally.

Kim, on his first overseas visit since suffering a stroke in 2008, reportedly crossed the border in his luxury train early this morning before arriving in Dalian, a prosperous port city in north-east China.

There he is expected to see, at first-hand, the benefits of decades of free-market reforms before he leaves for talks in Beijing tomorrow.

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More News On North Korea's Kim Jong-il's Trip To North Korea

North Korean leader in China seeking cash, clout -- L.A. Times
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il travels to China -- Times Online
North Korea's Dear Leader sneaks into China again -- The Telegraph
Report: North Korea's Kim Jong Il visits China -- Washington Post
Kim Jong Il visits China -- Beijing news.net
Kim unlikely to face any pressure in China -- Sydney Morning Herald
Did North Korea's Kim Jong-il take a secret train to China? -- Christian Science Monitor
Kim Jong Il Arrives In China (PHOTO) -- Huffington Post

A 'Range Of Options' If NKorea's Kim Goes: US Military

US Pacific Command Commander Admiral Timothy Keating, seen here in February 2009. The United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region are planning a "wide range of options" for a possible leadership change in North Korea, a top US military commander said Wednesday. (AFP/File/Toshifumi Kitamura)

From Yahoo News/AFP:

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region are planning a "wide range of options" for a possible leadership change in North Korea, a top US military commander said Wednesday.

"We are prepared to execute a wide range of options in concert with allies in South Korea and in discussions through State (Department), which would have the lead, with countries in the region and internationally if necessary," said Admiral Timothy Keating, the top US commander in the Asia-Pacific region.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is widely believed to have suffered a stroke last August and speculation has flared about his deteriorating health.

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My Comment: I recall war games were conducted two years ago by U.S. and South Korean forces, with Chinese and Russian observers present. A few weeks later a Chinese exercise was done with U.S. and South Korea observers present. What struck everyone with the exercises, is that the geography/seashore used for these exercises were very similar to what a military will expect if they enter North Korea.

I am sure that there are war plans as well as diplomatic procedures that all the countries will go through if there is a change in leadership in North Korea .... especially if things start to disintegrate.

But these are just plans and ideas.

North Korea's Leader Kim Jong-il Has Cancer -- News Updates July 13, 2009

Kim Jong Il, the supreme leader of North Korea, was today reported to be suffering from cancer of the pancreas. (KRT via Reuters TV/Reuters)

Media Report: North Korea's Kim Jong Il Has Cancer -- Christian Science Monitor

The report was not confirmed by South Korean intelligence sources, but it underlines the uncertainty surrounding the North Korean leader's eventual succession.

North Korea's reclusive dictator Kim Jong-il has been diagnosed with life-threatening pancreatic cancer, a South Korean TV station reported Monday.

The report cited unnamed South Korean and Chinese intelligence officials. Representatives from the two countries are meeting now in Seoul to discuss how to deal with a North Korea that has become increasingly belligerent in recent months.

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More News On North Korea's Leader Kim Jong-iL's Health

N. Korean Leader Dying of Cancer, Report Says -- New York Times
Report: NKorea's Kim has pancreatic cancer -- Yahoo News/AP
Kim Jong-il 'has pancreatic cancer' -- The Guardian
'N. Korean Leader Has Pancreatic Cancer' -- Korea Times
Kim Jong Il has life-threatening pancreatic cancer, intelligence sources say -- Times Online
Skepticism Greets Media Report on Kim's Health -- Voice of America
S Korea can't confirm Kim Jong-il cancer -- ABC News/Australia
FACTBOX: A look at North Korean leader Kim Jong-il -- Reuters
SCENARIOS: Post Kim, how might events unfold in North Korea? -- Reuters

Kim Jong Il Makes Public Appearance -- Observers Notice That He Looks Very Sick

Kim limped slightly as he entered Pyongyang Indoor Stadium. Photo AFP

Thin-Looking Kim Jong Il Makes Rare Appearance -- Yahoo News/AP

PYONGYANG, North Korea – A thin-looking Kim Jong Il made a rare public appearance Wednesday as North Korea paid solemn respects to his father, the country's late founder, on the 15th anniversary of his death.

The memorial was the second major state event that the 67-year-old Kim has attended in person since reportedly suffering a stroke last summer. In early April, he presided over a parliamentary meeting where he was re-elected as leader.

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More News On Kim Jong-Il

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il gaunt on anniversary -- Reuters
Kim Jong-il is 'convalescing' -- Independent
NKorea's Kim pays homage to late father -- AFP
Kim Jong-il marks father's death -- BBC

My Comment: He clearly looks sick, and when I look at the BBC video, it appears that he is losing his hair. I can now understand why rumors of a power change in the North Korean Government are percolating to the surface ..... with each public appearance Kim Jong Il looks more sick than before.

Kim Jong Il Close To Ceding Power, South Korea Says

Alleged pictures of Kim Jong-Un, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's third son.
Photo AFP

From Bloomberg:

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il is close to transferring power to his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, a senior South Korean government official said.

Circumstances suggest the elder Kim, 68, is grooming Jong Un to take control of the communist nation, said the official, who briefed reporters in Seoul on condition of anonymity. There’s no concrete evidence the son has support from the country’s elite, which could cause a power struggle, he said.

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Update: Meet North Korea’s New Top Cop -- The Danger Room

My Comment: When I look at recent pictures of Kim Jong Il, he reminds me of my father after he had his stroke 12 years ago. He was never the same man. I am sure that Kim Jong Il's handlers are experiencing the same thing. He will probably be the figure head for the next few years, but I doubt that he is exercising power within the government.

Is Korea's Kim Jong Il In The Hospital?

Kim Jong-Il. Photo: Getty Images

From Foreign Policy Blog:

Reports surfaced yesterday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is under hospital care (again), after Kim's health took a turn for the worse last month. It's unclear whether he's been replaced by a body double, but suspicions run rampant:

In April NightWatch presented side-by-side images of Chubby Kim and Cadaverous Kim published by the North Koreans within a few days of each other. The latest image shows a man whose physiology is in-between the others, but whose left arm is straight down and never moves in the 66 second clip. It might be Kim but only his handlers would know.

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My Comment: The focus is on Kim Jong Il, but it is the North Korean Communist Party and its police state bureaucracy that controls the country. If he dies tomorrow, they will just have someone else in the seat .... his son, some General .... it makes no difference. The Communist Party will still continue, nuclear tests will still be done, and missiles will be test fired over the Sea of Japan.