Sunday, December 18, 2011
Breaking News: Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s Oppressive Dictator, Reportedly Dead at 69
Reuters reports that Kim Jong Il died Saturday on a train trip. According to Bloomberg and South Korean News Reports, after Kim Jong Il suffered from a stroke in 2008, he may have contracted pancreatic cancer. Kim Jong Il’s son, Kim Jong Un, is believed to be in his late twenties.
Kim Jong Il is the son of Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s first dictator, who began to lead North Korea after the Korean peninsula was divided into North and South after the Korean War. Kim Jong Il came to power at his father’s death in 1994; his regime created the “world’s worst human rights crisis.” Over 2.5 million North Koreans were killed by Kim Jong Il’s government-orchestrated mass-starvation in the 1990s. Hunger continues in North Korea, despite international aid and global food surpluses. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans have been held in concentration camps for disloyalty and dissent. Isolated and monitored for over 17 years, and forced to praise nationalist propaganda, the North Korean people are perhaps the most oppressed populace in the world.
With Kim Jong Il’s passing, the Korean peninsula faces grave uncertainty — from the North and from bordering China. A new leader presents an unknown for the international community. The changing of the guard, however, also creates potential opportunities for reunification, international engagement, and human rights advancements for the North Korean people. Will KimJong Il’s passing signify progress for the North Korean people and peace and reunification for the Korean peninsula?
For Bloomberg’s article, click here.
For CNN’s article, click here.
For BBC’s article, click here.
