1040132132.jpg (445×345) In pictures: North Koreans mourn. Kim Jong-il death: 'Nature mourns' N Korea leader. 22 December 2011Last updated at 09:50 Scenes of mourning for Kim Jong-il have been broadcast on state television Strange natural phenomena have been witnessed in North Korea since the death of the country's leader Kim Jong-il, the state news agency KCNA reports. Ice cracked on a famous lake "so loud, it seemed to shake the Heavens and the Earth", and a mysterious glow was seen on a revered mountain top, KCNA said.
The personality cult surrounding North Korea's founding father and son bestows near-divine status on them. Meanwhile, South Korean intelligence has questioned how Mr Kim died. Citing US satellite photos, the country's national intelligence service director Won Sei-hoon said there was no sign that the special train, on which Mr Kim is reported to have died while on a visit on Saturday, had ever left Pyongyang over the weekend. South Korea's president says Seoul is trying to show no hostility towards Pyongyang. 'Message in rock' 'Flexibility' Kim Jong-il death: Did US intelligence fail? 21 December 2011Last updated at 13:15 By Jonathan Marcus BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent Kim Jong-il reportedly died after suffering a heart attack aboard a train near Pyongyang Modern intelligence gathering, with its satellites and drones operating at the very cutting edge of technology, can often give decision-makers an extraordinary window on the world.
Think of the amazing images earlier this year of US President Barack Obama and his national security team in the White House, watching live video of the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan as it unfolded. But the intelligence gatherers do not know everything, and North Korea is a case in point. US analysts were still uncertain of Kim Jong-il's death some 48 hours after his demise early on Saturday morning. "In Kim's Death", ran a headline on the front page of the influential New York Times newspaper, "An Extensive Intelligence Failure". 'Hard target' "We would not have expected to know something like that," he says. Death of Kim Jong il Live Blog. Information black hole as North Korean leader dies. By Jonathan Hopfner SEOUL Mon Dec 19, 2011 3:53pm IST SEOUL (Reuters) - Few national leaders die these days with no one outside their country knowing about it. For more than 48 hours.
Not even a mention on Twitter. Yet apparently no one, including South Korean intelligence services, was aware that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had died early on Saturday - until his passing was tearfully announced on state television on Monday. That medium itself appears antiquated in South Korea, frequently cited as the most wired country on the planet, where news is increasingly delivered and dissected via smartphone and social networking services. A night-time image of the Korean peninsula taken by an intelligence satellite in 2002 shows North Korea as a pool of darkness, in stark contrast to the blazing sea of light that is its prosperous southern neighbour on the other side of the world's most heavily militarised border.
A decade later, little has changed. Kim Jong Il’s death – headlines from across the web. Voice of Korea on Kim’s funeral about 2 years ago - No comments From my own monitoring, here are a couple of reports from Voice of Korea, North Korea’s shortwave radio service, on the event surrounding the funeral of Kim Jong Il. December 29 broadcast (covering the events of the previous day) Voice of Korea reports on the funeral procession of Kim Jong Il.
December 28 broadcast Voice of… Pyongyang mourning at Hana Electronics about 2 years ago - 1 comment Hana Electronics and the Hana Music Information Center, one of the last places reported to have been visited by Kim Jong Il before his death, was one of the locations used on Thursday to mourn his passing. What’s on North Korean TV and radio? About 2 years ago - 1 comment North Korea’s state television is playing a leading role in attempting to set a national mood of solemnity as the country moves through its mourning period. How the world reported Kim’s death, and how North Korea reported that about 2 years ago - 3 comments. Kim Jong Il’s death – How DPRK websites broke the news. A familiar newscaster dressed in black appears on screen and makes a tearful announcement: Kim Jong Il is dead.
When North Korean state TV and radio broke the news at noon on Monday they had already given advance notice that a major announcement was coming. Its delivery was an attempt to set a national mood of mourning. On the Internet things were a bit different with the news being carried as if it was any other story. North Korea’s state media ventured online last year when a new Internet connection was brought to Pyongyang. The state-run news agency, the major national daily and the international radio outlet all have websites and steadily churn out daily propaganda about economic growth, scientific breakthroughs and the trips of Kim Jong Il across the country. The audience is purely international — almost no one in North Korea has Internet access — and the subject matter not one that lends itself to breaking news.
KCNA’s Korean front page was pretty much the same. Kim Jong Il’s death – monitoring North Korean TV and radio. The news of Kim Jong Il’s death has all eyes focused on the Asian nation. Unlike many other countries, there’s only a handful of official news outlets and getting direct access can be difficult. North Korean TV (KCTV) can be watched live through the Thaicom 5 satellite throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa and some parts of Europe but you’ll need a satellite dish at least 3 meters across. If you have such a dish point it at: Thaicom 5 (78.5 degrees East); Transponder 7G C-band; 3,696MHz, DVB-S signal, symbol rate 3367 North Korean radio (KCBS) is easier to catch. There are also several shortwave frequencies: 2850 has good coverage of South Korea all day and neighboring countries at night. Listeners in neighboring countries can also try Pyongyang Broadcasting Station (PBS), a Korean-language network aimed overseas. International broadcasts in multiple languages can also be heard on Voice of Korea.
Kim Jong-il death - reaction | World news. 7.12am: Good morning. Kim Jong-il, the man who ruled North Korea with an iron fist for 17 years, has died aged 69, state media have reported. We'll be bringing you all the latest today as the world reacts to a death which appears to have been largely unanticipated and which looks likely to prompt concern about future leadership in the hermit state. 7.23am: North Korea has urged its 24 million people to rally behind heir-apparent Kim Jong Un after the death of supreme leader Kim Jong Il, AP is reporting.
People on the streets of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, broke into tears as they learned the news that Kim had died at the age 69 of heart failure.The North's official Korean Central News Agency said the country "must faithfully revere respectable comrade Kim Jong Un. " The authorities added: At the leadership of comrade Kim Jong Un, we have to change sadness to strength and courage and overcome today's difficulties. Thanks to my colleague Tania Branigan for the spot. He writes: Kim Jong-un issued military order before announcement of father's death: source. SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- Kim Jong-un, the heir-apparent and son of deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, issued his first military order just before the announcement of his father's death this week, a South Korean source said Wednesday, in an indication of the junior Kim's control over the nation's armed forces. The North's state media reported Kim Jong-il's death Monday, two days after it occurred.
The Seoul source said before the passing was announced, Kim Jong-un ordered all military units to halt field exercises and training and return to their bases. "This is a direct example showing Kim Jong-un's complete control over the military," the source said, adding the move also indicated that the younger Kim is poised to become the top commander of the North's military. South Korean intelligence officials had previously believed Kim Jong-un had not yet assumed full control over the armed forces in the aftermath of his father's sudden death. jeeho@yna.co.kr(END)
Korea: North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong Il Is Dead. Kim Jong Il, the North Korean dictator who ruled the hermit kingdom for the past three decades, has died at the age of 69. According to North Korean state television's official report on Monday, Kim passed away from “mental and physical strain” during a train ride on December 17, 2011. The South Korean Twittersphere erupted with various responses. Although the death of one of the world's most notorious dictators is something people might welcome, most South Koreans have expressed concern about the instability his sudden death might bring to Korean peninsula.
The South Korean public's initial response to the news was pure shock. Son Byung-gwan(@sonkiza), a reporter from the South Korean citizen media site Ohmynews, tweeted [ko]: 북한, 김정일 사망 속보… 너무 큰 뉴스라서 편집국도 어리둥절 North Korea reported a breaking story on Kim Jong-il's death. Kim Gil-su (@yourKGS) tweeted [ko]: 김정일 사망 소식에 속이 후련한 것보다 걱정이 앞네요. Instead of feeling relieved, I feel concerned by the news on Kim Jong-il's death. Kim died on Dec 17. N. Korea Says Dictator, Kim Jong-il, Dies. Word of Kim’s death sent shock waves through ’s Asia neighbors and reverberated around the world, reflecting the unpredictable outcome of an abrupt leadership change in one of the most opaque and repressive countries. North Korea is technically still at war with South Korea and the United States after nearly 60 years and has few friends besides China.
South Korea immediately put its armed forces on a high state of alert, and the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that North Korea tested an unspecified number of short-range missiles on Monday morning. The news agency said the tests were conducted before the announcement of Mr. Kim’s death. The Defense Ministry in Seoul said it could not comment on the report. The North had kept news of the death of its leader secret for roughly two days, perhaps a sign that the leadership was struggling to position itself for what many believe could be a particularly perilous transition.
Mr. In a brief additional line, Mr. North Korea Seals Chinese Border. North Korea: Kim Jong-Il dies, Twitter exults, analyzes, snarks & worries · asteris. North Korean leader Kim dead—state media. This undated picture, released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on December 14, 2011 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il inspecting a firing drill of the Korean People's Army Unit 966 at undisclosed place in North Korea.
North Korean state media confirmed on Monday that Kim died on December 17 at 8:30 am. He was 69. AFP PHOTO / KCNA VIA KNS PYONGYANG—North Korea on Monday announced the death of its supreme leader, Kim Jong-il, and urged its people to rally behind his young son and heir-apparent, while the world watched for signs of instability in a nation pursuing nuclear weapons. South Korea put its military on high alert as it faces the North’s 1.2-million-strong military. US President Barack Obama agreed by phone with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to closely monitor developments and to cooperate. People on the streets of Pyongyang wailed when they learned the news that their “dear general” had died of heart failure at the age of 69. Succession Rise to power. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Is Dead. North Koreans weeping hysterically over the death of Kim Jong-il.
Official North Korea State TV Announcement of Death of Kim Jong Il.