North Korean leader Kim Jong Ill dies
Seoul - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has died, North Korean state television reported Monday. According to his official biography, he was 69.
Kim died of fatigue Saturday morning during a train journey, an announcer on state television who was dressed in black said as her voice shook.
Kim isolated his country, brought it to the brink of economic ruin and made it reliant on foreign aid. He also led one of the largest armies in the world and provoked international fears with North Korea's nuclear programme.
News about Kim has been tightly controlled, but his health was believed to have been poor after he suffered a stroke in 2008, according to intelligence reports.
Since then, speculation swirled about who would take over from him. The questions appeared to be answered when Kim named his third and youngest son, Kim Jong Un, to senior posts at the party meeting in September 2010. The appointments were similar to those the elder Kim received before he succeeded his own father in 1994. dpa ses lns
