Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...
was reported by North Korean state television news on 19 December 2011. The presenter Ri Chun-hee announced that he had died on 17 December at 8:30 am of a massive heart attack while travelling by train to an area outside Pyongyang. Reportedly, he had received medical treatment for cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases, and during the trip, Kim was said to have had an "advanced acute myocardial infarction, complicated with a serious heart shock". However, it was reported in December 2012 by South Korean media that the heart attack had instead occurred in a fit of rage over construction faults in a crucial power plant project at
Huichon
Hŭich'ŏn () is a city in the southern part of Chagang Province, North Korea. The population is 168,180 (2008 data).
History
The region surrounding the city became Huichon County in 1896. It was originally part of North Pyongan province during ...
in
Chagang Province
Chagang Province (Chagangdo; ) is a province in North Korea; it is bordered by China's Jilin and Liaoning provinces to the north, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong to the east, South Pyongan to the south, and North Pyongan to the west. Chagang was ...
.
His son
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
was announced as North Korea's next leader with the title of "The Great Successor ( ko, 위대한 계승자)" during the same newscast. Jong-il's funeral was held on 28 December in Pyongyang, with a mourning period lasting until the following day.
Announcement
North Korean State media did not report
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...
's death until 51 hours after it occurred, apparently due to the political jockeying and discussions that surrounded the official version of Jong-il's legacy, as well as agreeing upon the membership of the Funeral Committee of Kim Jong-il. On the morning of 19 December, all work units, schools, government agencies, and military personnel were informed of a major announcement to take place at noon. At noon, Ri Chun-hee, a Korean Central Television news anchor, clad in full black traditional Korean clothing, announced the death of Kim Jong-il to a shocked nation. She was the long time announcer of many important news stories during his tenure as Supreme Leader, and was part of the broadcast team that covered Kim Il-sung's state funeral in 1994, as well as a friend of the late Chon Hyong-kyu, a KCTV news presenter who was the one who made the announcement of Kim Il-sung's death 17 years past. During the announcement, a portrait of a smiling, idealized image of Kim Jong-il was released, continuing the tradition of issuing official posthumous portraits of supreme leaders of North Korea after their death.
Following the official notice, a male news anchor wearing a suit and black tie proceeded to announce the entire funeral committee of Kim Jong-il in order of the rankings established by the authorities. The committee had 233 names;
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
was ranked first.
Speculation by South Korea
The head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service said surveillance footage revealed that Kim's personal train, on which he is said to have died, did not move over the weekend. This implied that the train was stationary when North Korean authorities claimed he had died. According to editors of '' The Chosun Ilbo'' newspaper, it was reported circumstances surrounding Kim's death were inconsistent with what would be generally expected during official business trips: specifically inclement weather conditions were present and the time of day when Kim was supposedly travelling conflicted with his usual
circadian rhythm
A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., Endogeny (biology), endogeno ...
, as Kim was known to be a
night owl
A night owl, evening person or simply owl, is a person who tends to stay up until late at night, or to the very early hours of the morning. Night owls who are involuntarily unable to fall asleep for several hours after a normal time may have d ...
. Furthermore, a low number of witnesses observed the events.
Reactions
Many countries, organizations, and individuals issued reactions to the death. According to CNN, reactions were "somewhat muted" in comparison to deaths of other world leaders. Just a few countries reacted immediately after Kim's death was announced on North Korea's KCTV. Some countries, like the United States, took the opportunity to comment on their relationship with South Korea. South Korea decided not to offer official condolences, mirroring both worsened relations after the ROKS ''Cheonan'' sinking and the bombardment of Yeonpyeong and its position after the
death of Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung died of a sudden heart attack on the early morning of 8 July 1994 at age 82. North Korea's government did not report the death for more than 34 hours after it occurred. An official mourning period was declared from 8–17 July, du ...
in 1994. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Kim a "great leader" and added that Beijing would continue to offer its support.
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
expressed condolences and said it hoped Kim's death would not affect the region adversely. Reactions in Europe were "a mix of hope and watchfulness". In North Korea, the official reaction was grief and support for the succession of
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
.
Funeral committee
North Korea announced a 232-member funeral committee headed by
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
that planned and oversaw
Jong-il
Jong-il, also spelled Jong-yil, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 19 hanja with the reading "jong" and ten hanja with the reading " il" on the South Korean ...
's funeral, which took place on 28 December. Observers believe the order of names on the list gives clues to the rankings of individuals in the regime's power structure with Kim Jong-un's position on top a further indication that he is Jong-il's successor as supreme leader. According to Kim Keun-sik of Kyungnam University, "The list is in the order of members of the standing committee of the Politburo, then members and candidate members. It shows that the party will be stronger power than the military," because Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law Jang Song-taek or O Kuk-ryol, the vice-chairman of the National Defense Commission, are listed further down."
The National Funeral Committee released the following details on 19 December 2011:
Members
The 232 members of the funeral committee were:
#
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
Choe Thae-bok
Choe Thae-bok (born 1 December 1930) is a North Korean politician. He is a member of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea, and was Chairman (speaker) of the Supreme People's Assembly for nearly 21 years, from 1998 to 2 ...
Kim Kyong-hui
Kim Kyong-hui (; born 30 May 1946) is the aunt of current North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. She is the daughter of the founding North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and the sister of the late leader Kim Jong-il. She currently serves as Secretary f ...
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Kim Yang-gon
Kim Yang-gon (, 24 April 1942 – 29 December 2015) was a North Korean politician and a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
Early career
Kim Yang-gon started his political career as a vice-director of the party's Internati ...
Kim Rak-hui
Kim Rak-hui (, 11 November 1933 – February 2013) was a North Korean politician. Kim worked in the agricultural and cooperatives section for most of her working life. During the Korean War, her efforts in rationing caught the attention of Ki ...
Kim Chang-sop
Kim Chang-sop ( ko, 김창섭; January 2, 1946 – June 9, 2020) was a North Korean politician who served as the Vice minister of the Ministry of State Security.
Early life and education
Kim Chang-sop was born on January 2, 1946, in the Unsan Co ...
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Mun Kyong-dok
Mun Kyong-dok ( ko, 문경덕; born October 12, 1957) is a politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). As of 2011, he is the youngest member of the Political Bureau, and a candidate member of it.
Biography
Born in 1957 ...
Kim Chol-man
Kim Chol-man (김철만; 2 November 1920 – 3 December 2018) was a North Korean politician and military official. He was a member of several important committees and organizations, including the 6th Central Military Commission, the 6th Politb ...
Jon Ha-chol
Chon Ha-chol ( ko, 전하 철) (born April 22, 1928) is a North Korean politician, deputy prime minister of the DPRK.
Biography
Chon Ha-chol was born on April 22, 1928, in Huchang County in North Pyongyang Province (now Kimhyongjik County in ...
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Kang Nung-su
Kang Nung-su (; February 21, 1930 – July 21, 2015) was a North Korean literary critic and politician. He was a Cabinet of North Korea, vice premier and member of the politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. He was a de ...
Han Kwang-bok
Han Kwang-bok ( Korean: 한광복) is a North Korean politician who served as Vice Premier. She was born in the 1940s in the North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. She also served as the Minister for the Electronics Industry until she was replace ...
O Il-jong
O Il-jong ( ko, 오일정, context=north, born 1954) is a North Korean politician and three-star general () of the Korean People's Army.
Biography
O Il-jong was born in 1954 in Pyongyang. A graduate of economics at the Kim Il-sung University and ...
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Kim Jong-im
Kim Jong-im ( ko, 김정임) is a North Korean politician. She is one of the few women (among others, Kim Kyong-hui, Kim Rak-hui and Han Kwang-bok) who perform the highest functions in the North Korean government apparatus. She is a member of t ...
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Chae Hui-jong
Chae, also spelled Chai, is a Korean family name and an element in some Korean given names. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.
Family name Overview
The 2000 South Korean Census found 119,251 people with the family name Chae ...
Kim Pyong-ryul
Kim Pyong-ryul ( ko, 김병률; 1930- November 5, 2013) was a politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( North Korea). President of the Supreme Court of North Korea and member of the 6th Political Bureau of the Workers' Party o ...
Ri Man-gon
Ri Man-gon (born 1945) is North Korean politician who served as Director of the Organization and Guidance Department and Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea from 2019 to 2020. He was formerly a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Pa ...
Kwak Pom-gi
Kwak Pom-gi (born 20 November 1939) is a North Korean government official.
After graduating from Huichon Industrial College, he began his career in 1983 as a machine factory manager, progressing through the machinery bureau of the Workers' Par ...
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O Su-yong
O Su-yong (; born 1944) is a North Korean politician. He was a Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the director of the Economic Affairs Department of the WPK.
Biography
in 1944. In 1988, he was appointed to the Electronic ...
Kim Hi-thaek
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese ...
Rim Kyong-man
Rim may refer to:
*Rim (basketball), the hoop through which the ball must pass
**Breakaway rim, a sprung basketball rim
*Rim (coin), the raised edge which surrounds the coin design
* Rim (crater), extending above the local surface
*Rim (firearms), ...
Han Tong-gun
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
Pyon In-son
Pyon In-son ( ko, 변인선, born 1946) is North Korean politician and military officer, colonel general and from March 2012 commander of the 4th Corps of the Korean People's Army.
Biography
He received his general qualifications and the rank ...
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Yun Jong-rin
Yun Jong-rin (born 1938) is a general of the Korean People's Army Ground Force. From 2010 until 2019, he served as the commander of North Korea's Supreme Guard Command, when he was replaced by Kwak Chang-sik. The force is responsible for the p ...
Choe Sang-ryo
Choe Sang-ryo ( ko, 최상려) is a North Korean politician and a Colonel general of the Korean People's Army. He is a member of Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and served as a member of the Supreme People's Assembly, N ...
Kang Phyo-yong
Kang Phyo-yong () is a North Korean military officer and politician. He holds the rank of Lieutenant General in the Korean People's Army Ground Force. , he is a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Career
In October ...
Yang Tong-hun
Yang may refer to:
* Yang, in yin and yang, one half of the two symbolic polarities in Chinese philosophy
* Korean yang, former unit of currency of Korea from 1892 to 1902
* YANG, a data modeling language for the NETCONF network configuration pr ...
Kim Song-chol
Kim Song-chol ( ko, 김성철, born 30 November 1993) is a North Korean male weightlifter, who competed in the 62 kg category and represented North Korea at international competitions.
He won the gold medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
...
Kim Song-dok
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese ...
Pak Sung-won
Park Sung-won ( ko, 박승원; born November 1946) is a former military officer and politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) who was a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. He served as delega ...
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Ri Yong-chol
Ri Yong-chol (; born 8 January 1991) is a North Korean footballer who currently plays as a defender for North Korean club Hwaebul Sports Club.
International career
Ri made his first senior international appearance in a friendly in and agains ...
Jon Kil-su
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from " YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Ri Mu-yong
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An Jong-su
An Jong-su (, born 1951) is a North Korean politician. He is a Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the director of the Light Industry Department of the WPK.
An is said to have close ties with Pak Pong-ju and Kim Kyong-hui.
...
Pak Myong-chol
Pak Myong-chol (; born 15 September 1941) is a North Korean political figure who joined the 6th Central Committee of the Korean Workers' Party in September 2010, along with Kim Jong-un. He has served in several important posts in North Korea, in ...
Ryang Man-gil
Ryang Man-gil ( ko, 량만길; born on April 16, 1941) is a North Korean politician. He served as the Chairman of Pyongyang People's Committee and as a member of the Supreme People's Assembly.
Biography
Then in February 1990 the politician becam ...
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Yun Tong-hyon
Yun Tong-hyon () is a North Korean general and politician. He is member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and member of the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's unicameral parliament.
Biography
He became a colonel-genera ...
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Ko Pyong-hyon
A KO is a knockout in various sports, such as boxing and martial arts.
K.O., Ko or Kō may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* KO (musician), Canadian musician who plays a fusion of hip hop and folk music
* ''K.O.'' (album), a 2021 ...
Paek Kye-ryong
Baek (), also often spelled Paek, Baik, Paik is a Korean family name. In the year 2000, there were 351,275 people with this surname in South Korea. The word means the color white.
Baek (白)
"白" has a Cantonese origin from the Yuan dynasty an ...
Han Chang-sun
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese ...
Ko Su-il
A KO is a knockout in various sports, such as boxing and martial arts.
K.O., Ko or Kō may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* KO (musician), Canadian musician who plays a fusion of hip hop and folk music
* ''K.O.'' (album), a 2021 ...
Ri Chol
Ri Chol () is a North Korean politician. He is a member of the 14th Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.
Biography
Born in 1940, he graduated from the College of International Studies and the French Department of International Relatio ...
Tong Jong-ho
Tong Jong-ho ( ko, 동정호, born 1956) is a North Korean politician. He is Vice Premier of North Korea in the North Korean Cabinet. He previously served as Minister of Construction and Building Industry and the Political Bureau of the Centra ...
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Kang Min-chol
Kang Min-chol (born 1948) is a North Korean politician. He is Minister of Mining Industries in the Cabinet of North Korea, and an alternate member of the politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). He was a delegate ...
Jo Yong-chol
Jo Yong-chol (born 6 August 1987) is a North Korean Shooting sports, sport shooter.
He participated at the 2018 ISSF World Shooting Championships, winning a medal.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jo, Yong-chol
Living people
...
An Tong-chun
An, AN, aN, or an may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Airlinair (IATA airline code AN)
* Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy
* AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey
* Anime North, a Canadian ...
Hong Kwan-sun Hong may refer to:
Places
*Høng, a town in Denmark
* Hong Kong, a city and a special administrative region in China
*Hong, Nigeria
*Hong River in China and Vietnam
*Lake Hong in China
Surnames
*Hong (Chinese name)
*Hong (Korean name)
Organi ...
Pang Ri-sun
Pang may refer to:
Places
*Siem Pang District, Cambodia
*Pangnirtung or Pang, an Inuit hamlet on Baffin Island, Canada
*Fo Pang (Chinese: 火棚), an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong
*Pang, a hamlet in Leh district, Jammu and Kashmir, India
*Pang, Mal ...
Kang Kwan-ju
Kang Kwan-ju (born 5 July 1930), or Kang Chu Il, is a North Korean politician. He is head of department 225 of the Cabinet of North Korea, and an alternative member of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. He is the vice-chair ...
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Thae Hyong-chol
Thae Hyong-chol (, born 1953) is a politician and university professor of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He was President of the and an alternate for the 8th Political Bureau (and 7th Politburo member). Since the 12th convocation o ...
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Kim Pyong-hun
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese ...
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Kim Kye-gwan
Kim Kye-gwan (; born July 6, 1943) is a North Korean diplomat. His official position was First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (North Korea), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to which he was promoted (from just Vice Minister) immedia ...
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Han Chang-nam
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese ...
#
Kim Chang-myong
Kim Chang-myong is a North Korean former footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian footb ...
O Chol-san
O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), ...
Jong Un-hak Jong may refer to:
Surname
*Chung (Korean surname), spelled Jong in North Korea
*Zhong (surname), spelled Jong in the Gwoyeu Romatzyh system
*Common Dutch surname "de Jong"; see
** De Jong
** De Jonge
** De Jongh
*Erica Jong (born 1942), American ...
Choi Tae-il Choi may refer to:
* Choi (Korean surname), a Korean surname
* Choi, Macau Cantonese transliteration of the Chinese surname Cui (崔) and Xu (徐)
* Choi, Cantonese romanisation of Cai (surname) (蔡), a Chinese surname
* CHOI-FM, a radio statio ...
Ri Yong-ju
Ri Yong-ju ( ko, 리용주) is an Admiral and politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and a candidate member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. He was member of the 12th convocation of the Su ...
Jon Song-ung
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Ji Jae-ryong
Ji or JI may refer to:
Names and titles
* Ji (surname), the pinyin romanization of a number of distinct Chinese surnames
* Ji (Korean name), a Korean surname and element in given names (including lists of people with the name)
* -ji, an honorif ...
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Kim Yong-jae
Kim Yong-jae ( or ; born 7 September 1952) is a North Korean diplomat and politician. He was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation. He is currently the North Korea ...
Hong So-hon Hong may refer to:
Places
* Høng, a town in Denmark
*Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and specia ...
Jo Jae-yong
Jo, jo, JO, or J.O. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Jo'' (film), a 1972 French comedy
* ''Jo'' (TV series), a French TV series
*"Jo", a song by Goldfrapp from '' Tales of Us''
*"Jo", a song by Mr. Oizo from '' Lambs Anger''
* Jo a fict ...
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Choe Chan-gon
Choi is a Korean family surname. As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were around 2.3 million people by this name in South Korea or roughly 4.7% of the population. In English-speaking countries, it is most often anglicized ''Choi'', an ...
Choe Kwan-jun
Choi is a Korean family surname. As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were around 2.3 million people by this name in South Korea or roughly 4.7% of the population. In English-speaking countries, it is most often anglicized ''Choi'', an ...
Ho Song-gil
Ho (or the transliterations He or Heo) may refer to:
People Language and ethnicity
* Ho people, an ethnic group of India
** Ho language, a tribal language in India
* Hani people, or Ho people, an ethnic group in China, Laos and Vietnam
* Hiri ...
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No Kwang-chol
No Kwang-chol (Korean: ; Hanja: 努光鐵; born 1956) is a North Korean soldier, a four-star general, and a member of the political bureau.
Biography
He was elected as a member of the Supreme People's Assembly following the 2003 election and 2 ...
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Jong Pong-gun Jong may refer to:
Surname
*Chung (Korean surname), spelled Jong in North Korea
* Zhong (surname), spelled Jong in the Gwoyeu Romatzyh system
*Common Dutch surname "de Jong"; see
** De Jong
** De Jonge
** De Jongh
* Erica Jong (born 1942), Americ ...
Choe Yong
Choi is a Korean family surname. As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were around 2.3 million people by this name in South Korea or roughly 4.7% of the population. In English-speaking countries, it is most often anglicized ''Choi'', a ...
Kim Yong-suk
Kim Yong-suk (born June 12, 1979, in Pyongyang, North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and share ...
Kim Chang-su
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese ...
Ryu Hyon-sik is a Japanese masculine given name and family name meaning "dragon", "noble", "prosperous", or "flow". Ryū, Ryu, or ryu may also refer to:
Fiction
* ''Ryū'' (manga), a 1986 series by Masao Yajima and Akira Oze
* , a 1919 book by Ryūnosuke Aku ...
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Ko Myong-hui
A KO is a knockout in various sports, such as boxing and martial arts.
K.O., Ko or Kō may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* KO (musician), Canadian musician who plays a fusion of hip hop and folk music
* ''K.O.'' (album), a 2021 ...
#
Pang Yong-uk
Pang may refer to:
Places
* Siem Pang District, Cambodia
* Pangnirtung or Pang, an Inuit hamlet on Baffin Island, Canada
*Fo Pang (Chinese: 火棚), an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong
*Pang, a hamlet in Leh district, Jammu and Kashmir, India
* Pang, ...
Jong Pong-sok Jong may refer to:
Surname
* Chung (Korean surname), spelled Jong in North Korea
* Zhong (surname), spelled Jong in the Gwoyeu Romatzyh system
*Common Dutch surname "de Jong"; see
** De Jong
** De Jonge
** De Jongh
* Erica Jong (born 1942), Ameri ...
Jong-il
Jong-il, also spelled Jong-yil, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 19 hanja with the reading "jong" and ten hanja with the reading " il" on the South Korean ...
's embalmed body lay in state in a glass coffin at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where his father Kim Il-sung is also interred, for an 11-day mourning period prior to the funeral. Like his father, Kim's body was covered in a red flag and surrounded by blossoms of his namesake flowers, red kimjongilia. It is expected that the body will be placed next to his father's bier following the funeral and mourning period. As solemn music played,
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
entered the hall to view his father's bier, surrounded by military honour guards. He observed a moment of solemn silence, then circled the bier, followed by other officials.
On Saturday 24 December Kim Jong-un made a third visit to the palace where his father's body is lying in state. At this broadcast, Jang Sung-taek, whom South Korean intelligence assumed would play larger roles supporting the heir, stood with military uniform near young Kim, who wept this time, as he paid respects to Kim Jong-il's body lying in state.
Funeral and memorial service
The funeral itself occurred on 28 December. The , 3-hour funeral procession was covered in snow (which local newscasters described as "heaven's tears") as soldiers beat their chests and called out "Father, Father." A Lincoln Continental limousine carried a giant portrait of
Jong-il
Jong-il, also spelled Jong-yil, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 19 hanja with the reading "jong" and ten hanja with the reading " il" on the South Korean ...
. Jong-il's casket, draped by the Korean Workers' Party flag, was carried on top of another Lincoln Continental hearse while
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
and his uncle Jang Sung-taek were immediately behind. Army chief of the general staff Ri Yong-ho and defence minister Vice-Marshal Kim Yong-chun walked along the opposite side of the vehicle during the procession segments in the Kumsusan Memorial Palace. The procession returned to Kumsusan Palace where Jong-un stood flanked by the top party and military officials who are expected to be his inner circle of advisers as rifles fired 21 times, then saluted again as goose-stepping soldiers carrying flags and rifles marched by the palace square. Reportedly, Jong-il's body will be embalmed and put on display indefinitely in the manner of Kim Il-sung and other Communist leaders such as Lenin,
Mao
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ...
, and Ho Chi Minh.
The convoy during the funeral procession was composed of lead patrol cars, the funeral hearse and its escorts, military escorts, motorised colour guards, an OB van of Korean Central Television, various cars (including a fleet of black
Mercedes
Mercedes may refer to:
People
* Mercedes (name), a Spanish feminine name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or last name
Automobile-related
* Mercedes (marque), the pre-1926 brand name of German automobile m ...
), and trucks carrying wreaths and five military bands from the KPA.
On the day of the memorial service, 29 December, Chairman of the Presidium, Kim Yong-nam, gave an address to mourners gathered in Kim Il-sung Square.
Kim Young-nam told mourners that "The great heart of comrade Kim Jong-il has ceased to beat... such an unexpected and early departure from us is the biggest and the most unimaginable loss to our party and the revolution," and that North Korea would "transform the sorrow into strength and courage 1,000 times greater under the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un."
The chairman also affirmed Kim Jong-un's position as his father's successor saying "Respected Comrade Kim Jong-un is our party, military and country's supreme leader who inherits great comrade Kim Jong-il's ideology, leadership, character, virtues, grit and courage".
General Kim Jong-gak addressing the memorial service on behalf of the military, saying "Our people's military will serve comrade Kim Jong-un at the head of our revolutionary troops and will continue to maintain and complete the Songun accomplishments of great leader Kim Jong-il". Songun refers to Kim Jong-il's policy of prioritising the "military first" in economic decisions.
Kim Jong-un did not make an address but stood with his head bowed, watching from a balcony of the Grand People's Study House, overlooking the square. He was flanked by his aunt,
Kim Kyong-hui
Kim Kyong-hui (; born 30 May 1946) is the aunt of current North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. She is the daughter of the founding North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and the sister of the late leader Kim Jong-il. She currently serves as Secretary f ...
, her husband, Jang Sung-taek, and senior party and military officials.
After the speeches, and a nationwide observance of three-minute silence, a row of heavy artillery guns were fired off in a
21-gun salute
A 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognized of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor. As naval customs evolved, 21 guns came to be fired for heads of state, or in exceptiona ...
followed by a cacophony of sirens, horns and whistles sounded off simultaneously from trains and ships across the country to mark the end of the mourning period. The assembly concluded with a military band playing '' The Internationale''. State television then broadcast a military choir and wind band performing ''The Song of General Kim Jong Il'' to formally conclude.
Kim Jong-un's elder brothers, Kim Jong-nam and
Kim Jong-chol
Kim Jong-chul (; born 25 September 1981), sometimes spelled Kim Jong Chol, is a son of former North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il. His younger brother is current Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. His older half-brother Kim Jong-nam was assass ...
, are not known to have been in attendance either at the lying in state or on either date, the funeral or the memorial service.
The funeral showcased seven officials who are believed to be mentors or major aides to Kim Jong-un:
Jang Song-taek
Jang may refer to:
*Jang (Marshall Islands), part of Maloelap Atoll, in the Marshall Islands
*Jang, Nepal, a village development committee in the Rapti Zone of western Nepal
* Jang, the Tibetan name for Naxi, a county-level district of Luzhou cit ...
, Mr. Kim's uncle and a vice-chairman of the National Defense Commission; Kim Ki-nam, North Korea's propaganda chief;
Choe Tae-bok
Choe Thae-bok (born 1 December 1930) is a North Korean politician. He is a member of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea, and was Chairman (speaker) of the Supreme People's Assembly for nearly 21 years, from 1998 to 2 ...
, the party secretary in charge of external affairs; Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho, head of the military's general staff; Kim Yong-chun, the defence minister; Kim Jong-gak, a four-star general whose job is to monitor the allegiance of other generals; and
U Dong-chuk
U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last Letter (alphabet), letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide ...
, head of the North's secret police and spy agency.
On 1 January 2012 the Japanese daily '' Yomiuri Shimbun'' reported that Kim Jong-nam secretly flew to Pyongyang from Macau on 17 December 2011, after learning about his father's death that day and is presumed to have accompanied
Kim Jong-Un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
when paying his last respects to their father. He left after a few days to return to Macau and was not in attendance at the funeral in order to avoid speculation about the succession.
According to '' Daily NK'', anyone who did not participate in the organised mourning sessions or did not seem genuine enough in their sorrow has been sentenced to at least six months in a labour camp. Mourners were also barred from wearing hats, gloves or scarves even though the temperature that day was —presumably so authorities could check to make sure they were displaying sufficient grief. North Korea angrily denied this accusation, blaming it on "reptile media" in the pay of the South Korean government. A photo slideshow from The Los Angeles Times does show multiple mourners with gloves and scarves.
Reports of mourning
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed that strange natural phenomena occurred in North Korea around the time of Kim Jong-il's death. In the past, the North Korean government has been known to encourage stories of miraculous deeds and supernatural events credited to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. KCNA also claimed that more than five million North Koreans, more than 25% of the national population, had shown up to mourn Kim Jong-il.