north korean leader kim jong-il is dead. state media reported his death at noon local time today, saying he died at 8:30 in the morning on saturday. a tearful anchor woman said kim die due to overwork after dedicating his life to the people. north korea's state-run news agency reports kim suffered great mental and physical strain while on a train during a field guidance tour. now, it says kim suffered is a heart attack and couldn't be saved despite the use of every possible first aid measure. now, north korea has a very interesting relationship with its neighbors. it's situated on a peninsula. it's bordered on either side by china and south korea and relations with its northern neighbor described as warm and collaborative. to the south, tensions remain high, after several military squirmishes and nuclear missile tests along the border with south korea. north korea is notoriously reclusive nation and cnn's wolf blitzer travelled to pyongyang last year with former ambassador bill richardson and here is what he saw. >> reporter:

his father was kim il-sung. kim jong il was a little boy when the korean war broke out in 1950, but the soviet-backed north invading the american-backed south. after fighting ended, kim jong il became steeped in his father's philosophy of juche or self-reliance and the north became ever more reexclusivive. the north and south never formally signed a peace treaty and remained technically at war separated by a tense demilitarized zone. gradually, kim jong il made public appearances in front of cheering crowds. when kim il-sung died in 1994, he was declared eternal president. so his son instead became general secretary of the ruling worker's party of korea. and by 1998, as head of the army he consolidated his position of absolute power. >> he will be remembered as a person who was responsible for awful things, for the existence of one of the worst dictatorships in probably not only korean history, but in the world history. at least in the 21st century. yes, he did not create this dictatorship, it was his father, but

kim jong-il has died. tate tv said the 69-year-old leader, he suffered a heart attack saturday while on a train trip. also said a funeral will be held december the 28 #th. kim jong-il had been in power since 1994 when his father died of a heart attack. earlier, peter beck gave us his take on how ordinary people in north korea may be reacting to the news of the dear leader's demise. >> it's fair to say the outpouring of emotion we saw with the official announcement is unlikely to be followed by the average north korean. his 17 years in power he did not do much to distinguish himself other than making north korea nuclear power and that doesn't put food on the table. as far as the average north korean is concerned, they are not going to be shedding too many tears for him. >> let's talk about the human rights legacy of kim jong-il and what happened under his leadership, the famines, human rights crises, explain. >> that's right. he took over, his father died at the outset of the most serious famine that north k

kim jong il is dead. they're saying he died at 8:30 in the morning on saturday. a tearful broadcaster reported that kim died after overwork from dedicating his life to the people. a news agency reported that kim suffered great mental and physical strain while on a train during a field guidance tour. she says kim suffered a heart attack and couldn't be saved despite every possible life-saving measure. his son, kim jong un, has already been called the great successor. he is 27 or 28 years old. he is the son of kim's late third wife, and despite lack of military experience, he was promoted last year. he is described as ambitious and a take no prisoners type. the military has raised its alert status following the passing of kim jong il and it's causing a wave of uncertainty around the world. a professor joins us from seoul. a military in south korea raised their security alert. why? >> obviously, this is the moment of uncertainty, and south korea wants to so-called minimize that level of uncertainty and its op

it was not the same as when kim jong il took over from kim il-sung because kim jong il had 20 years to prepare, whereas kim jong un only had two or three years. and so he will not be as easy or orderly as it was before. but even then, it was not very soon after kim jong il surfaced. he waited for three years before he was officially the successor to kim il-sung, his father. >> okay. ambassador han sung joo, also the former foreign minister there on the line. giving us some perspective and raising new questions about the death of kim jong il, the leader of north korea. just to recap and bring you up to date with everything that we know right now, about kim jong il's death, state media announced he had in fact died on saturday. they made the announcement within the last few hours, he had a heart attack whilst traveling on a train. an autopsy did confirm the cause of death, it did take two days for the announcement to come out. we have been told that his son, kim jong un will head a funeral committee of 232 people. the ambassador just told us that. also, we know the stock market in south

the papers criticize north korea's transfer of power from kim il-sung to kim jong-il to kim jong-un.translator: north koreans need to realize the reality and help them rise in revolt. we hope unification will come soon. >> reporter: among the defectors, there are people who believe that kim's death is a turning point for their course. this man left north korea when he was 14 years old. he lost his parents when he was young. he and his sister risked their lives to escape food shortages and poverty. he went on to study in japan and now works for a group in seoul that monitors and supports people in his homeland. >> translator: i am deeply attached to my home country. i would like to contribute to developing north korea and the korean peninsula as a whole. >> reporter: while the defectors are hopeful that the death of kim jong-il could bring about change, they also know that change won't come easy. they are going to try to play their part in shaping the future of north korea. susumo kojima, nhk world, seoul. >>> now back here in japan, the olympus loss of more than a billion dollar bett

kim il sung is president for eternity. s were asked whether he would have the authority, those same questions being asked about kim jong un now. kim jong il had a long apprenticeship, 20 years by his father's son. his son only a matter of a few years. he's inheriting a country that is poor, that we know is cut off from the rest of the world where there's a hard line old leadership, military leadership in place, and how he's able to impose himself on that is going to be the real test as well as what sort of country he wants to lead, monita. >> stan, talk to us a little bit about the relationship between pyongyang and beijing and how they became these close allies? was it a case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer? or was there some sense of genuine i guess commonality between them? >> reporter: an ideological unity certainly, if you go back six decades. that was at the core of this relationship. also, it was forged on the battlefield during the korean war. china sent tens of thousands of so-called volunteer

it's kim jong-il. south korean -- a south korean news organization is reporting that north korean television is saying that north korean leader kim jong-il has died. pyongyang again, state television making that announcement. that's according to south korean, a south korean news organization. this is a live picture and that's all, am i correct, that the north korean television is showing. they just have a picture up of kim jong-il. they say that the veteran leader died at about 8:30 a.m. on december 17th and that the announcement was made by a weeping announcer on television. but this is all north korean television is showing is just a picture of the supreme leader kim jong-il. so there are news organizations there that are reporting that kim jong-il has died. our international wing of cnn working on information. we will get more to you within this broadcast. but again, this is what's being reported. north korean leader kim jong-il has died. cnn checking to verify all of that information. make sure you

we begin this hour with the death of kim jong il. late last night north korea dramatically announced his death and allowed a rare peek inside the secretive country. state-run newscasts showed citizens weeping and inconsolable. kim was revered in a nation that's often been described as a cult, but his almost cartoonish appearance belied a fearsome determination. his people starved while he developed nuclear weapons and amassed a huge military, always potentially ready to strike. the man likely to take over, his youngest son, kim jong eun is mostly unknown, mostly untrained for the job ahead of him and today the world is asking what happens next. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we want to welcome our special -- our viewers through our special coverage of kim jong il's death. we're covering all the angles of this developing story. we have reporters across the world from beijing to the pentagon, to london, to the white house and beyond. instability in the region is a major worry right now. stan grant is in beijing and is joining us now li

death. >> was the late kim jong il? we know that he was the son of a dictator -- who was the late kim jong il? we know that he was the son of a dictator. the facts on the reclusive kim are thin. >> kim jong il's life was shrouded in mystery. much of what is known was carefully spun by north korea's propaganda machine. it begins with the story of his birth. legend has it that kim was going in an anti-japanese guerrilla camp -- born in an anti-japanese guerrilla camp. official records show he was born in siberia. he was in his mid-30's when he was anointed as the successor to his father, but he did not inherit power until his father died in 1994. initially, he continued his father's policy of isolation. he presided over a devastating famine that killed an estimated 2 million people, refusing offers of international aid. later, he made tentative moves toward a fall in relations with the outside world -- thaw in relations with the outside world. in 2000, north and south korean families met for the first time since they were

got to remember that kim jong il's father spent 20 years getting kim jong il ready to take over. m jong il has spent only two years in getting kim jong un ready and they have not had the time to solidify their base among the various elements of the regime. and that's why kim jong un is in such danger at this moment. >> in danger from people within his own country, right? for instance, there's one guy who has been described as the caretaker of the government while kim jong il has been in power though quite sick, particularly there at the end. and i understand the father has tried to minimize some of the people in his inner circle neutered them, effectively so they can't take over and the kid can. >> absolutely. the one who you referred to is the regent, his wife is kim jong il's sister. these two are supposed to protect kim jong un but he and his wife are detested by the military which is by far the most important element in the regime and the strongest in the country. and that really puts kim jong un in a difficult position because the people that were supposed to protect him are

kim jong-il assumed overall power 3 years later in 84 when his father died. ot called president the great leader took that title to his grave. north korean supreme leader kim jong-il followed his dem str-- democratic style. he vigorously pursued a nuclear weapons program and was vilified for high spec missile components to state sponsors of terrorism. he reveld in diplomatic effort to curve his regime's drive to obtain weapons of mass destruction prompting former u.s. president george bush to group it with iraq and iraq as the world's greatest threats to peace. >> states like these and terrorist allies constitute an acce axis of evil arming to threaten the peace of the world. >> it is widely believed north korea manufactured a dozen nuclear bombs under kim's tenure. they spent much of the country on defense making the army the 4th largest in the world. the forces faced off against the smaller south korean military and nearly 30,000 u.s. troops along the demilitarize zone. he was starving the people while importing luxury items to the political and security eli

kim il-sung, the original founder of the country, kim jong-il, have a lot more history. untry knows practically nothing about kim jong un, haven't heard his name until a year ago. no great stories of his birth or achievements. the north koreans don't even know he actually studied abroad in switzerland, he's a basketball fan, that he's open to the outside world. they know nothing about him. it's going to be much more of a challenge to present kim sung un as the legitimate leader of the country as his father. >> good to talk to you. if anything else develops, get back be in there and talk to us about it. tim it one of our most informed reporters and producers on asia and on korea. thanks, tim. >> that's right. >>> he calls himself a cyber illusionist combining the technology at the moment with ideas of old world magic. this week dr. sanjay gupta introduces us to futuristic showman marco tempestt on cnn's "the next list." >> making art is not my aspiration. my aspiration is, to do what i love. like to show my passion to my audiences, and i can show that to my audience -- tha

of course, one of the mourners in chief will be kim jong il's third son, kim jong un. it is believed, because his official appointment as successor has not been confirmed, but all the indications coming from the north korean media are that kim jong un -- he is believed to be 27 or 28 years old. the exact date of his birth is not official knowledge. he will be the new leader. the sun in his late 20's becomes the third member of the kim dynasty to rule over this very secretive state. lucy williamson, our correspondent, is in the south korean capital, seoul. do we know how this day is going to end? his unofficial burial going to take place? yesterday, there was a three hour-long procession through the streets of p'yongyang. then we have this continuation today, thursday in north korea. >> he was laid to rest yesterday, next to his father. today is quite different. extraordinary pictures which i hope you are seeing now. a really impressive feat of human engineering, the able to get perhaps a million people together in the central square of p'yongyang for this last memorial

north korean television reporting their leader kim jong-il has died. don't have a lot of detail about cause of death. what we are finding out is on north korean television nonstop they are talking about the death of kim jong-il 69 years old. to talk to me more about this because geraldo is in kuwait right now. we had guests planned to talk about the situation of our troops in iraq. kt mcfarland kind of a national correspondent. she is a fox news contributor. this news breaking moments ago you and i talked about the air apparent. 20 something-year-old kim jong who could be moving in place now. not a whole lot of detail coming out. you are not surprised we would find out about this late in the night like this. >> the 27-year-old son has been the heir apparent. he doesn't have military experience or political experience. they will look to him there may be a potential power struggle with him. the young man the new leader will have to show his chops. he may feel he has to do something militant. this is the beginning of a succession issue that may go on the

father, kim il-sung. one pinted to kim jong-un's visit saturday to the palace where his father's body is lying this state. the young leader was accompanied by senior officers from the central military kpligs, national defense commission and korean people's army. kim jong-un wanted to show that he gained control over party and the military, it is said. >>> kim jong-un stepped into the rule of statesman after a delegation paid respects. instructing senior officials to provide tlem with warm hospitality. >>> the widow of former president head et the delegation populater briefing south korean lawmakers on the visit. she said kim told officials to provide letter group with the same level of hospitality that she and her husband received when they visited in 2000. they were there for the first interkorean summit. >>> she says she was given the same room in the state guest house where the couple stayed 11 years ago. she added that nor korean officials called the young kim comrade general. kim yang nam called him

the united states has consulted its allies in east asia after the death of north korean leader kim jong il. south korea and japan say they are preparing for any unexpected security issues. for nearly two decades kim jong il ruled north korea. his son has been named as a successor. john simpson. >> this is the weird, reclusive figure who ran the most secretive country and did it as if it was his own private property. looking on is his son, who was around 28. he will takeover to regard -- takeover. the old leader died on saturday, but state television only announced its today. the news unleashed a storm of emotion. in north korea you have to mourn a leader as noiselessly as possible, especially if the cameras are on. if you are a member of the political elite, you may be a release sorry he is gone. no one knows what will happen to the nation now. kim jong il leaves behind a country that is appallingly court. this girl was filmed secretly while collecting grass to eat. in an orphanage in the southern part of the country, children are being treated for malnutrition. in the 1990's 3 million peo

the 1990's, when kim jong-il kim to power, was a time of hunger and despair. it is a bit better. it is not much better, but it is a little bit better. >> north koreans are showing a huge amount of grief over the death of kim jong-il. how real is that agreed? for outsiders, like most of us -- you have the privilege of seeing north korea -- there is a huge amount of curiosity about a very secretive country run by a regime. you hear about the ruthlessness of the regime, how out of touch with the rest of the world, and one wonders how much grief there could be for the death of a leader, in such a terrific time. is it out of fear? out of propaganda? is it real? >> i think it is all those things. i think that some people will be genuinely upset. far fewer, probably, than in 1994, when kim il-sung died. kim delaware son had charisma. he got on well with people. he mixed with farmers and workers in a way that kim jong il never has done. but there will still be people who are sorry that he is dead. i do not know how many. there will be others who are probably apprehensive about the future

state-run media announced the death of kim jong-il only yesterday. already they're running his successor kim jong-un. the central news agency posted an article saying his achievements will last forever. it also praises kim jong-un as an outstanding theorist who wins 100 victories in 100 battles in leading the country's revolution in construction. the article adds that his philosophy embodies his father's idea and will and he stands at the forefront of the socialist revolution. this is the first time that north korean state media has griffin tribute to kim jong-un. kim jong-il's body will be visited until 27th. he was involved in negotiations north korea for many years. tanaka met. >> translator: i was surprised at the news of his death. there's no reason to believe north korea has solidified its transition of power. we have to keep a close watch on the situation for the time being. i negotiated with north korea behind the scenes for one year. during the negotiations, the country made decisions through talks among officials. north korea is under dictat

kim jong il was an apprentice of his father, kim il-sung, for 70 years.kim jong un has only been an apprentice of his father for more than a year. you think the military leadership in south korea will support him fully? >> you are right. at this moment, you look at the official obituary from the news station. you look at the letter of condolence sent by the chinese top leadership to p'yongyang. the message says, "under the leadership of kim jong un." the chinese government has already recognized his leadership. also of this moment, i do not think there could be any uncertainty about the loyalty of the military. but after this man is buried on december 28, when the official funeral is over, i think that is perhaps the beginning of a serious power struggle between the military and the young son there. >> how important is it that kim jong un, who has never visited the mainland, visit china and meet the leaders of china? >> i think it is very important if he wants to have the support of china. i would say the only and the most important ally for the democrati

kim jong il has done the same thing. kim john un has followed his dad to do this because is he sort of learning on the job. >> shepard: gordon chang and jonathan hunt thank you so much. north korea fired two short range missiles less than 24 hours ago that's coming up inside "studio b." first though let's get to capitol hill. two weeks until many of us could lose a big chunk of our paychecks. it's really not so astounding to see what's happening on capitol hill. there is no deal to extend the payroll tax cut. there has been a whole lot of talk. they are very good at that this weekend the state okayed a bill or i should say the senate did that the senate majority leader or i should say minority leader mitch mcconnell said was, quote, not designed to fail but designed to pass. but it's looking now like republicans are voting it down anyway, sonar of all stunners. mike emanuel on capitol hill. what are they saying this time, mike. >> the frank and -- rank and file in the republic party didn't like it. killing the plan 60 day

after kim jong il's death. it's possible members of the military could push forward the eldest son kim jong-nam to take power. >> given everything that's going on there, what can we expect from north korea in the future? >> well, the united states, south korea and japan and other countries are preparing for various scenarios. they are worried that kim jong un might resort to military provocation to tighten his grip on north korea every time an internal power struggle breaks out. there's no guarantee kong un has the experience to control his opponents. >> hiroki, thank you for coming in. >> thank you. >>> and south korea's president spent the day trying to figure out whether his country should offer official condolences to its neighbor over the death of kim jong il. our reporter anna jung joins us with more. >> reporter: lee myung-bak held a meeting with his cabinet to talk about this issue. following discussions the government announced it will not send an official condolence to north korea. but it will allow th

, this is the last video taken of kim jong-il. t shows him visiting factories, a mine, and a fertilizer plant. the 69-year-old leader reportedly died of heart failure while on a train on saturday. kim's funeral is set for a week from wednesday, december 28th. north korea will hold a national mourning period from now until december 29th. >> even in death, many of the details of kim jong-il's life are cloaked in secrecy. back in 1964, kim graduated from kim il song university and was groomed to take over the country. he was officially designated successor in 1980. it wasn't until after his father died in 1994 that he took over leadership and control of the armed forces. information under the communist dictator was very scarce, only massive rallies of support for the state were shown to the world. his longtime support of nuclear weapons and his military's repeated threats to the south and the united states sparked worries that fighting might break out on the korean peninsula or that north korea might provide weapons of mass destructio

kim jong-il is gone.'s an untested new leader designated by his father, but there's a cult of personality, a line of succession that has happened for many years in north korea. so the early indications are that the establishment has rallied behind kim jong-un, the son, the untested son. but the issue is will there be subsequent power struggles within the military, within the family that keeps kim jong-un with some degree of power? that is the uncertainty. now another point is that under kim jong-il, at least in the last 12 months, things were getting a little better. they weren't as belligerent. they were talking to south korea. they were talking to the united states on humanitarian aid. the north koreans said they were ready to re-engage in six-party talks on nuclear negotiations. again, you never can predict what they're going to do, sanjay. they're an isolated country. i've been there eight times, but i still can't predict what's going to happen next there. >> most people seem to know, ambassador richa

>>> kim jong-il family grieves. north koreans gather in city square and town halls to cry, even wail for kim jong-il. high ranking officials are busy orchestrating the transition of power. mourners filed past kim's body. they include diplomats station netd north korean capitol. jim kim jong-un have praised him as a great leader to the north korean leadership. video showed north korean officials bowing toward the coffin with solemn music in the background. kim il-sung died in 1994. kim jong-il had a ceremony just after his death. the ceremony was held at the same venue with the same music. this may indicate that the nation's leadership has been handed down to kim jong-un, the third generation of the kim family. the foreign ministers of japan, south korea and china have been watching developments closely. they i have a greed to work together to stabilize the korean peninsula. japanese foreign minister spoke by phone with his counter parts, kim sang juan in south korea and china. he urged them to cooperate closely and s

away on saturday after suffering a heart attack kim jong il's youngest son kim jong un has reportedly been named his successor meanwhile as the news broke longstanding enemy south korea with its armed forces on high alert the government has declared the situation an emergency kim jong il's body is lying in state in the most name in the capital for funeral service on december twenty eighth until then the period of mourning has been declared in the country but he takes a look back now at the life of a man who became a symbol of the reclusive state. a mystery to the world what now for north korea with its leader kim jong il dong this massive military parade was held in two thousand and eight to mark north korea's sixtieth anniversary to kim jong il he wasn't there to greet the crowd that suggested he suffered a stroke in two thousand. three reports claimed kim jong il died of diabetes and had been replaced in public by stand ins hired previously as a security measure he never spoke to the media had a profound fear of flying and ate with special chopsticks which could detect poison rumors

his father, kim il-sung's body has been kept there. since 1994. 9 north korean government has declared a period of mourning that will last longer than a week. kim's funeral will be held on december 28th in pyongyang. a national memorial ceremony is also scheduled for the next day. north korea announced a committee to arrange kim's funeral. the first person it mentioned is kim's third son, kim jong un. saying the country has what it calls the great successor and leader of the party, military and the people, kim jong un at the forefront. this is the first time state-run media called kim jong un his father's successor. and hoping to bring stronger unity among the party, the military and the people. here are how some of the people in the north korean capital are reacting to kim's death. >>> newspapers in tokyo rushed out extra editions delivering the news of kim's death. >> depending on who will take over if he will go in the same footsteps try to do the same thing or if he hopefully is more open-minded. >> japan's prime minister yoshihiko

>> the process is ongoing, even in the death of kim jong il. with that, the military is a critical part. because kim jong il consolidated his power and ran the country through the military after the death of his father in 1994. but the key thing about the north korean military and the whole emphasis of the military and the new leadership structure is that the north korean economy is a militarized economy. so kim jong un as a four-star general, a a senior military figure, he will have to be groomed to run some of these very important military link state training companies, very important revenue-generator for the regime and for a future kim jong un regime. >> barb remarks his uncle is often described as the real power. >> that's right, jang sung thaek, who is 65, an appropriate age for leadership in korea, is married to kim jong il's younger sister. he, who was really the closest family member to kim jong il and they have been power brokers behind the scenes for a long time. jang sung thaek has a large family, brothers and sons very involved in t

while kim jong-il had been a well-established member of his father's military team, kim jong-un is airtual unknown. >> here you have a young man of 26 or 27 coming into power with this very important dynastic role to play. andthink he's not going to want to have anybody rock the boat. and i don't think he is going to rock the boat. >> reporter: what if some other faction in north korea decides to rock the boat? it's not yet clear how much kim jong-un commands respect among the military hard line. this is only the second time in history the hermit kingdom of north korea has had a transition of power. and now there are nuclear weapons in the mix. here in south korea, that is a source of fear and uncertainty. they don't yet know whether they can afford to be optimistic. whether this may finally be a turning point for the better. or whether someone, either the new leader or a potential rival, might lash out in order to prove a point. the devil they know has been replaced by one they don't and that's not much reassurance. cynthia? >> and our thanks to david wright. abc's global affairs an