Death and funeral of Kim Jong-il

The death of Kim Jong-il 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 in Chagang Province.

His son Kim Jong-un 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'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 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, as Kim was known to be a night owl. 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 in 1994. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Kim a "great leader" and added that Beijing would continue to offer its support. Japan 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.

Funeral committee

North Korea announced a 232-member funeral committee headed by Kim Jong-un that planned and oversaw Jong-il'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 Yong-nam
# Choe Yong-rim
# Ri Yong-ho
# Kim Yong-chun
# Jon Pyong-ho
# Kim Kuk-thae
# Kim Ki-nam
# Choe Thae-bok
# Yang Hyong-sop
# Kang Sok-ju
# Pyon Yong-rip
# Ri Yong-mu
# Kim Kyong-hui
# Kim Yang-gon
# Kim Yong-il
# Pak To-chun
# Choe Ryong-hae
# Jang Song-thaek
# Ju Kyu-chang
# Kim Rak-hui
# Thae Jong-su
# Kim Phyong-hae
# Kim Jong-gak