Dictator Kim Jong Il Dies at Age 69 on North Korea News Reports

According to North Korea news reports, now confirmed by other sources, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has died at the age of 69. While Kim Jong Il has been a security concern for the U.S. with his access to the North Korean nuclear weapons arsenal, in the wake of his death, there is additional concern about his succession.

Jong Il reportedly died Saturday of what is being called a heart ailment. This comes on the heels of a reported stroke suffered by the long time dictator of North Korea in 2008.

Last year Kim Jong Il named his third son Kim Jong Un as his successor. Jong Un has been serving in a high ranking post since that time, and now in the wake of his father’s death, the North Korean Military is reported to be on ‘high alert.’

During his administration, Persident George W. Bush had denounced Kin Jong Il as part of the ‘Axis of Evil’ citing his mistreatment of his people who have been left to starve while Jong Il has used resources and money to build up a nuclear arsenal. In the years from 1995 to 2000 an extimates 1 million people died in North Korea from famine under his regime.

It is unclear exactly how respected Jong Un is by his subordinates and the military. This has left the U.S. with perhaps even more concerns about the Korean peninsula than before Kin Jong died.

The United States currently has about 30,000 troops stationed over the border in South Korea. At this time, reports indicate that there has been no change in their alert status.