World reacts to news of Jong Il’s death

PYONGYANG (NEWS1130) – Kim Jong II is dead and the news has left people around the world wondering what will happen next.  The North Korean dictator is said to have died of heart failure aboard a train yesterday.  He was 69.

Associated Press reporter Foster Klug says people on the streets in Pyongyang are mourning the loss of their leader.  The government has implemented strict rules to keep things under control.

“There is already mass weeping on the streets and there are signs of emotion.  It was a shock for everyone in Seoul and in the surrounding regions.” says Klug.

Here on the Lower Mainland, people are hoping it brings political change.  “Maybe the country will start heading in a different direction.  I know the reunification with South Korea has always been a topic in the country,” says one Vancouver man.

“Hopefully that will change things for North Korea and make them more free like South Korea and make things better for them because that could be a positive thing,” adds one woman.

Jong Il’s funeral will be held December 28th.    

Jong Il’s successor
    
The nation, which is currently without a leader, is calling Kim Jong Il’s son a “great successor” to the country’s principle of self reliance, as the country rallies around his son Kim Jong Un.  North Korea’s official news agency says the country “must faithfully revere respectable comrade Kim Jong Un.”

Meanwhile, South Korea has put its military on high alert due to North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs and 1.2 million armed forces.

In the United States, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King calls North Korea’s government an organized crime family. 

“The fact is we have very bad relations with North Korea.  China props North Korea up and North Korea is also a nuclear power.  Right now diplomacy is going to be important.  I think we should stay on a high state of alert.”