North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies

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Kim Jong Il, North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic leader, has died. He was 69.

19 December,2011 08:18 am

Kims death was announced Monday by the state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died after suffering heart attack on a train on Saturday.The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, suffered a massive heart attack on a train on Saturday, the Norths KCNA news agency said on Monday.An autopsy conducted on Sunday confirmed the cause of death, it said.A tearful announcer dressed in black said the 69-year-old died on Saturday of physical and mental over-work on his way to give field guidance.Kim had suffered a stroke in 2008, but appeared to have recovered.Kim Jong-un, the senior Kim Jong-ils youngest son, is seen as the leader-in-waiting after he was appointed to senior political and military posts in 2010.The younger Kim was at the head of a long list of officials making up the funeral committee, indicating he will lead it.Experts say Jong-un has the intelligence and leadership skills that would make him suitable to succeed his father. He is also reported to have a ruthless streak that analysts say he would need to rule the country.There is likely to be an enormous outpouring of emotion over Kim in North Korea, where the countrys propaganda machine turned him into a demi-god.