Funeral set for Dec. 28; Jong-un hailed as heir; Lee talks with Obama


North Korea’s iron-fisted ruler Kim Jong-il, who had long drawn international attention for his unceasing nuclear ambitions, died of a heart attack on a train ride on Saturday, the communist state’s state media reported on Monday. He was 69.

The demise of the enigmatic leader sent shockwaves across South Korea, putting the government in emergency mode. Kim, who was tapped as heir in 1974, took the helm of the communist state upon the death of his father and national founder Kim Il-sung in 1994.

His death came as the North was accelerating efforts to transfer power to his third son Jong-un. The succession process was accellerated after Kim apparently suffered a stroke in the summer of 2008.

“Kim Jong-il passed away at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 17 from a great mental and physical strain caused by his uninterrupted field guidance tour for the building of a thriving nation,” said the official Korean Central News Agency in a statement.

KCNA explained that he died of a heart attack.

The statement was issued at noon under the names of the key state and political organs including the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee and the National Defense Committee. A female announcer donned in a black funeral suit read it in a tearful voice on a state television.

It also hailed Jong-un as “great leader and successor” in an apparent hint that the succession process is proceeding successfully.

“At the vanguard of our revolution, there stands Kim Jong-un, the successor of the Juche (self-reliance) revolution and excellent leader for the party, military and citizens,” it said.

“Under his leadership, we will turn our sorrow into power and courage to overcome difficult situations and rigorously work to achieve a victory of the Juche revolution.”

The North formed a 232-member funeral committee, which includes Jong-un at the top of the list. Jong-un currently serves as the vice chairman of the party’s CMC.

KCNA said that Kim will be laid to rest in the Kumsusan Memorial Palace where the embalmed body of his father lies in state, and that the funeral ceremony was to be held in the capital of Pyongyang on Dec. 28.

The North set a mourning period from last Saturday to Dec. 29. But it said that it would not accept foreign delegations at the funeral ceremony, according to the state media.

President Lee Myung-bak stressed stability and peace at the time of the economic difficulties and close cooperation with the international community over Kim’s death.

“For the future of South Korea, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is more important than anything else. Peace and stability should not be undermined due to (his death,” Lee was quoted by his spokesperson as saying during the emergency Cabinet meeting.

“We should make thorough preparations and keep a close cooperative system with the international community.”

Lee also emphasized that public opinion should not be divided, calling on citizens to carry out their normal economic activities without being agitated by the news.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon and other chiefs of related ministries.

After the shocking announcement, Lee talked with U.S. President Barack Obama, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev over the telephone and agreed to closely cooperate to cope with the aftermath of Kim’s death.

The South Korean military put its armed forces on alert and beefed up its vigilance against possible contingencies that could flare up amid growing uncertainties on the peninsula.

In tandem with the U.S. military, it also strengthened its intelligence gathering capabilities to keep close tabs on movements of the North Korean military in tense border areas.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry set up a 24-hour taskforce to handle responses from the international community and North Korea and draw up measures to deal with them. It is headed by Lim Sung-nam, the ministry’s representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Financial Services Commission also set up emergency teams to respond quickly to potential developments that could fuel public and market concerns.

Korea’s Finance Ministry and financial watchdog shifted into emergency mode in a bid to minimize the effect of Kim’s death on local markets.

Business organizations urged the government to beef up efforts to prevent the North Korean leader’s abrupt death from having a negative impact on the local economy.

Political parties, engrossed in their efforts to turn the political tide ahead of the general elections next year, also held talks to discuss measures to prevent any negative fallout from Kim’s death and ways to stem the spread of anxiety among citizens.

Some observers expressed concerns over Seoul’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, as it appears to have been unaware of his death until after the North made the official announcement at noon.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)