North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dead of heart attack, state media reports
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 11:18 PM EST, Sun December 18, 2011
The founder of the communist nation, Kim Jong Il had been in power since 1994 .
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Kim's funeral will be held on December 28, state media reports
- NEW: South Korea's president cancels all planned events, local Yonhap media reports
- Kim died of a heart attack while on a train, North Korea's state news agency reports
- Kim Jong Il was the son of Kim Il Song, the founder of the communist nation
(CNN) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is dead, North Korean state TV said Monday.
Kim, 69, died at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, state media reported.
A broadcaster reported that Kim died due to "overwork" after "dedicating his life to the people."
Kim died of "great mental and physical strain" while in a train during a "field guidance tour," North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency reported.
More specifically, the agency reported that Kim suffered a heart attack and couldn't be saved despite the use of "every possible first-aid measure."
He had been treated for "cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases for a long period," KCNA noted.
His funeral will be held December 28 and the national mourning period extends until December 29, said the news agency.
All South Korean military units have been placed on "emergency alert" following Kim's death, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. South Korean officials have not noticed any unusual activity from North Korea, the agency reported early Monday afternoon.
Kim's death also prompted South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to cancel all events on his schedule, Yonhap said.
North Korean and communist party officials "released a notice on Saturday informing" members of the Workers' Party of Korea, military "and all other people" of Kim's passing, according to KCNA.
The son of Kim Il Song, the founder of the communist nation, Kim Jong Il had been in power since 1994 when his father died of a heart attack at age 82.
The enigmatic leader was a frequent thorn in the side of neighboring South Korea, as well as the United States. There have been reports in recent years about his health, as well as that power will be transitioned to his son, Kim Jong Un.
North Korea's nuclear program -- and international attempts to hinder its nuclear weaponry potential -- put Kim at odds with many world leaders in recent years, as did his governing style.
Under his leadership, North Korea was largely closed off to outside influences, fearful of threats from its neighbors and subject to decades of political socialization. At the same time, it also sought international aid after extensive famines that contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
Both North Korea and South Korea have shown signs of concession in recent years -- Pyongyang has expressed willingness to engage with countries involved in multilateral talks aimed at North Korea's denuclearization, while Seoul recently sent humanitarian aid through U.N. agencies to help the malnourished population in the North.
But relations between the two rival nations soured yet again when North Korea launched an attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians.
North Korean news reports earlier this fall indicated that Kim Jong Il had been traveling around the country and visiting China, a big change from 2009 when he was thought to be ill with cancer.
Two senior U.S. military officials said then that they believed the pace of North Korea's planned regime change from Kim to his 20-something son appeared to have slowed.
The son, also known as Kim, started his career as a four-star general and in recent years was given more official duties by his father.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who traveled to Pyongyang a year ago with former U.S. ambassador Bill Richardson, said that "the assumption (then) was that he was sick" but still in "decent shape."
Now it is a "totally uncertain situation," Blitzer said.
