Kim Jong Il has died in Pyongyang. Kim's death was announced Monday from the state capital of Pyongyang. He reportedly suffered a stroke in 2008, but appeared relatively healthy on recent trips around Asia, which were documented by state media.
Reuters adds that the country had begun transferring power to his son, Kim Jong-un, who is believed to be in his late 20s.
The Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state news agency, paralleled that information. In a statement entitled "Kim Jong Il Passes Away (Urgent)", it noted that he "passed away from great mental and physical strain", passing away at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17. Additionally, in a separate article entitled 'Medical Analysis of Kim Jong Il's demise', he suffered an "advanced acute myocardial infarction, complicated with a serious heart shock."
The White House released a statement late Sunday evening on reports of Kim's death:
"We are closely monitoring reports that Kim Jong Il is dead. The President has been notified, and we are in close touch with our allies in South Korea and Japan. We remain committed to stability on the Korean peninsula, and to the freedom and security of our allies."
At midnight on Monday, President Barack Obama spoke with Republic of Korea President Lee-Myung-bak to discuss the Korean Peninsula situation. A White House release read:
"The President reaffirmed the United States’ strong commitment to the stability of the Korean Peninsula and the security of our close ally, the Republic of Korea. The two leaders agreed to stay in close touch as the situation develops and agreed they would direct their national security teams to continue close coordination."
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