MORE THAN the death of Kim Jong-il, the way news of his death was presented on the state-run television is trending on the

and the social media networks. Wearing a black dress, the newsreader wept as she announced that their ‘dear leader’ had died due to physical and mental over-work.

 

The announcement is sure to send shockwaves across the nation as people react to the death of their leader. Footage released by its news agencies has only shown people crying and pouring on the streets. Whether such an announcement was involuntary or engineered, nobody knows but it will add to the number of mourners.

Kim, who succeeded to power after the death of his father and North-Korea’s founder, King II Sung was rarely seen in public space after he suffered a stroke in 2008. In fact, failing health had led him to choose his son Kim Jong-un ago who is barely in his 30s as his successor over a year ago. His death has forced the authorities to declare national mourning till 29 December.

Its military has been put on alert and its National Security Council has convened an emergency meeting, amid concerns that news could lead to instability in the impoverished but nuclear armed nation which has only few allies, according to Yonhap news agency reports.

Believed to have been born, with the appearance of a new star in 1942, a famine that killed more than two million people hit the country shortly after he took charge after the death of his father. He was accused of channelizing funds to develop the country nuclear weapons, at the cost of millions of starving people.

Although little is known about his private life, but is believed that he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, with strong interest in women and cinema. He owned a large collection of movies besides he is believed to have produced several films of his own, according to Voice of America.

All the day he kept trending the social media with people expressing grief over his death. But there were many others who didn’t spare a minute to criticise him even at his death. A twitter user, with leader’s handle KimJongil, wrote: Not a good year for dictators but at least I died peacefully.