Courtesy of ZeroHedge. View original post here.
Submitted by Tyler Durden.
Just out on Yonhap:
- North Korea says its leader Kim Jong-il has died.
- N. Korean leader died of fatigue at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 17 during train ride: KCNA
From Daily Yomiuri:
- Cause of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s death is said to be a stroke.
And Reuters confirms:
- NORTH KOREA STATE TELEVISION SAYS KIM JONG IL HAS DIED
Great. More geopolitical uncertainty. Because as the Arab Spring has shown us there is nothing quite as stable as a transitory military government to fill a power vacuum (also see Thermidorian reaction during the French Revolution).
As expected the South Korean response is immediate.
- S. Korean gov’t shifts to emergency footing on news of N.K. leader’s death
Some more from Reuters:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died on Saturday on a train trip, a tearful state television announcer, dressed in black, reported on Monday.
The announcer said that the 69-year old had died of physical and mental over-work on his way to give "field guidance".
He had suffered a stroke in 2008, but appeared to have recovered.
The reclusive state had begun the process of transferring power to his son Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his late 20s.
