Kim Jong Il, North Korea's
mercurial and enigmatic leader whose iron rule and nuclear ambitions
dominated world security fears for more than a decade, has died. He was
69.
Kim's death 17 years after he inherited power from his father was announced Monday by the state television from the North Korean
capital, Pyongyang. The country's "Dear Leader" — reputed to have had a
taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine — was believed to have had
diabetes and heart disease.
North
Korea has been grooming Kim's third son to take over power from his
father in the impoverished nation that celebrates the ruling family with
an intense cult of personality.
South Korea put its military on
"high alert" and President Lee Myung-bak convened a national security
council meeting after the news of Kim's death.
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