The Death of Kim Jong-il, and What May be to Come

Kim Jong-il, Supreme Leader of North Korea

After years of ill health and speculation, a black hearse pulled up to the North Korean palace to drive Kim Jong-il away for the last time. For as long as Kim Jong-il has been in power he has had two stories to his life.

In one story, a work of fiction, Kim Jong-il was the “supreme leader”, beloved by his people and in return providing them with everything they could ever need. He was deified and was said to have the power to control the weather based on his mood. His birthday was the most important holiday in North Korea and mass celebrations occurred all across the nation.

But this fiction has always been completely transparent. Under Kim Jong-il’s rule, Korean’s have starved to death by the millions and the country has stayed mired in extreme poverty while their southern brethren jumped into the first world.

Kim Jong-il was born in 1941. After graduating college he went directly in politics, rising quickly through the ranks of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party.  Eventually becoming the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il became the de facto leader of North Korea, granting control of the fourth largest standing army in the world. 

Over time, North Koreans developed a large personality cult around Kim Jong-il, with his likeness posted in many North Korean homes.  While Kim Jong-il enjoyed his celebrity status, much of North Korea suffered from the martial law enacted during their dictator’s reign. As his wet nurse, Sun-joo Park said, “Kim Jong-il was always very aggressive, mean to everyone… I was not surprised he let the people of North Korea starve.”

His death left North Korea in a state of advanced instability, leading to the attack on Northern Australia by North Korean forces, killing as many as 55,000 according the Australian war ministry.  Kim Jong-un, the oldest son of the deceased dictator, is assumed to take control of North Korea, but political complications may leave the Korean Peninsula under extremely adverse conditions.  According to North Korean’s foreign affairs minister, the launch codes were stolen by a dissatisfied general who feared being ousted by Kim Jong-un. 

Hopefully, Kim Jong-un will take control of his country so future disasters are avoided.

- Ron Bergundy and Wolf Plitzer

Exclusive Interview with Sun-joo Park, Kim Jong-il's Wet Nurse

 The following is an interview between CNN Asian correspondent and Sun-joo Park, the wet nurse to Kim Jong-il.  This interview was performed online via gmail chat services.  

Sun-joo Park:  Hello!

Wolf Plitzer:    Hello, CNN reporter Wolf Plitzer

Sun-joo Park, wet nurse of Kim Jong-il for 19 years

Sun-joo Park, wet nurse of Kim Jong-il for 19 years

Sun-joo Park:  Sun-joo Park here

Wolf Plitzer:    Nice to meet you Sun-joo Park, I'd like to ask you a few questions about Kim Jong-il

Sun-joo Park:  Please do, but I may not respond quick, because english not good good.

Wolf Plitzer:    Firstly, I'd like to offer my condolences on the death of Kim Jong-il, I've been made aware    you were very close to him

Sun-joo Park:  hah!  I was...when he was small.

Wolf Plitzer:    Yes, I understand you were his wet nurse, correct?

Sun-joo Park:  yes, correct, until he was 19

Wolf Plitzer:    What were your impressions of him as a child?  Did he have any interesting personality quirks, any passions?

Sun-joo Park:  He was very aggressive, definitely made a mark on me, many marks

Wolf Plitzer:    Really?  Please elaborate.

Sun-joo Park:  [Kim Jong-il] never had friends his own age, the other boys in court, he cling to me, for hours, until his mother realize that I get in way of professional development, then she banish me, to South Korea.  I loved Kim, [he was] mean to everyone but me.

Kim Jong-il at the height of his political career

Wolf Plitzer:    Hmm, so his mother was very concerned on his political career.  You say you loved Kim Jong-il, do you feel this love was reciprocated?  Do you think he felt the same way about you?

Sun-joo Park:  He couldn't give me what I could give him, so when he came of age, this 19, he took the side of his mother, and this gave me pain.

Wolf Plitzer:    Hmm, I see.  This must have been very difficult for you.  How do you feel about how he ran DPRK?

Sun-joo Park:  Once I left, Kim became starved, so it never surprised me that he could starve the North Koreans.  It was like a mirror to his thirsty soul.

Wolf Plitzer:    You say he was starved, but how?  Emotionally, artistically..?

Sun-joo Park:  Emotionally, and with great vitamin d deficit.

Wolf Plitzer:    Ah.  So the lack of a motherly figure in his life led to a lack of compassion for others.  Did you ever try to contact him later in life?

Sun-joo Park:  Sorry about delay

Wolf Plitzer:    No problem.   It must be very difficult to establish a good connection half way around the world.

Sun-joo Park:  very difficult to establish between Koreas, as you seen!  So yes, big wide world too I tried to contact him once, yes

Wolf Plitzer:    Please tell

Sun-joo Park:  when his mother die, I make crossover attempt

I wrap myself in quilt, carrying nothing but a change of underwear and Kim's favorite pacifier I take from him once.  Don't tell him that!

Oh, right...

...too late

Wolf Plitzer:    ... I'm sorry; this whole affair must be very hard on you.  Do you wish to continue?

Sun-joo Park:  No, I do not, the pain pummels me, like Kim's mother used to, when dark and nobody watching

Wolf Plitzer:    You've clearly experienced many hardships.

Sun-joo Park:  none as hard as the death of Kim or as I called him, Kimchee

Wolf Plitzer:    It's clear you cared about him very much.  If you were to sum up Kim Jong-il's life, what would you say about him?

Sun-joo Park:  If he nibbled away at Korean people's lives, he was only nibbling away at me.

Thank you

Wolf Plitzer:    Thank you for your time.  Do I have your permission to use this interview in an article?

The Beatles, Rock Band from 1960's and favorite of Sun-joo Park

Sun-joo Park:  Yes, I want my story told, for the world to feed on.  I always wanted to see Kimchee again, since 1960.  In fact, if not for the Beatles, I would’ve ended it all then. 

Wolf Plitzer:    Once again, this has been Wolf Plitzer with CNN news, signing off.

China Comments and Confirms Kim Jong-Il's Death

          After rumors of Kim Jong-Il’s death, eye witnesses spotted a black hearse outside of the leader’s palace. In the event of his father’s death, Kim Jung-Un would likely take power but the transition is anything but certain in North Korea. The country suffers from famine and poverty and power is maintained by military force. There are several other possible successors including Kim’s other older children.

China, North Korea’s main ally, has pledged to maintain “harmonious relations” with the struggling country. The border between the two nations is heavily guarded and in the event of North Korea’s collapse, China fears a wave of poor uneducated people flooding into their country.

      China's Assistant Minister, Chen Yumin, commented on the event: "We have confirmation through our communication with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that Kim Jong-Il has indeed died. Whoever the successor is, we will extend our support and protection, should that be necessary, to the DPRK as they undergo this transition between leaders. This happened before without incident in 1994, and we have no reason to believe that this transition will be any different." 

       Once again, bloggers have alerted the world to breaking news.

Is Kim Ill?

Earlier today, anonymous Korean bloggers claimed North Korean President Kim Jong-Il’s death.  The bloggers are unnamed, reporting in the Korean language. Kim Jong-Un, the heir apparent of Kim Jong-Il’s regime, will assume his father’s position in the event of his death.  

 Jong-Un currently holds a senior position in the ruling Worker’s Party.  He has recently accompanied his father to many of his political events, creating speculation as to the state of Jong-Il’s current health.  From the outside Jong-Il appears to have a healthy lifestyle- he is a frequent on the basketball court and golf course. 

These unknown bloggers could simply be creating a rumor - in the past, there have been many claims of the North Korean leader’s death.  Yet if the bloggers’ cryptic report is indeed true, what will be the fate of North Korea? Will Jong-Un’s policy differ or mirror his father’s?