# Kim Jong-il Is Dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 19, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705 "2011-12-19T03:10:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/42 "2011-12-19T04:01:46Z")
The designated heir [Kim Jong-un](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-un) is only 27 or 28. Maybe he’ll make NK a hipper, swinginger nation! 🙂 Or at least that will be the plot of a Sasha Baron Cohen film one day . . . ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/43 "2011-12-19T04:02:04Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > It’s very possible that this will lead to the collapse of the North Korean regime. Which will be replaced by what? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/44 "2011-12-19T04:02:07Z")
[Link to weeping newsreader](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16240002). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/45 "2011-12-19T04:02:39Z")
BBC is now reporting he died on a train that was heading out of the country. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/46 "2011-12-19T04:03:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Beat you to it. [Thread already here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=635437). Suggest Mongolian Cluster Merge. (Which you can probably get in Bangkok for $5.95.) ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/47 "2011-12-19T04:04:11Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Which will be replaced by what? It may finally lead to the reunifcation of the Korean people. I said in jest when Gadaffi died that Kim Jong-Il would be gone by Christmas, never in my wildest dreams did I believe this could happen… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/48 "2011-12-19T04:04:41Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Suggest Mongolian Cluster Merge. (Which you can probably get in Bangkok for $5.95.) Special price for you, farang! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/49 "2011-12-19T04:04:50Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Reunification my arse. > > This news makes me extremely nervous. I don’t blame you one little bit ☹ ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/50 "2011-12-19T04:06:32Z")
Forgive my potentially trite analysis, but will this make any difference at all? I always thought that Jong-Il was purely a projection of the regime behind him (and not a very good one at that). Presumably Jong-Un will be the same, with no change in policy. Or did he actually have influence? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/51 "2011-12-19T04:06:42Z")
Year of miracles, this is. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/52 "2011-12-19T04:06:47Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > It may finally lead to the reunifcation of the Korean people. Which North Korean political faction supports reunification? ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/53 "2011-12-19T04:07:07Z")
Threads were merged together. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/54 "2011-12-19T04:07:43Z")
Oh good, finally an end to bizarre posturing and unpredictable behavior by the North Korean government. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/55 "2011-12-19T04:08:02Z")
I hope the rest of his criminal regime joins him. Good riddance. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/56 "2011-12-19T04:08:27Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Year of miracles, this is. What did you have against Vaclav Havel? ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/57 "2011-12-19T04:09:46Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Forgive my potentially trite analysis, but will this make any difference at all? I always thought that Jong-Il was purely a projection of the regime behind him (and not a very good one at that). Presumably Jong-Un will be the same, with no change in policy. Or did he actually have influence? He certainly had influence and power personally. He wasn’t a puppet; he had a huge cult of personality. I’m hoping the best for North Koreans. The stories coming out have been so terrible and sad, and I hope that there’s now some change. I’m sure it will be painful for them either way but we know so little about the son – perhaps he won’t be like his father, or perhaps he won’t be able to take (or keep) power at all and there will be a change. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/58 "2011-12-19T04:09:54Z")
I don’t have much to say but I wish the best for the people of North Korea. Hopefully his son isn’t as crazy as he was. [http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/18/world/asia/north-korea-leader-dead/?hpt=hp\_t1](http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/18/world/asia/north-korea-leader-dead/?hpt=hp_t1) ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/59 "2011-12-19T04:10:31Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > {Corrected post; see below.} updates from on the ground please when you have time. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/60 "2011-12-19T04:11:35Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Which will be replaced by what? Best case, it’ll go the route of East Germany, to be grudgingly absorbed by its wealthier sibling. Worst case, it’s the new Somalia. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/61 "2011-12-19T04:11:50Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > He wasn’t a puppet; he had a huge cult of personality. The one doesn’t follow from the other though. You can have a cult of personality without any substance. > [@](#): > > I’m hoping the best for North Koreans. The stories coming out have been so terrible and sad, and I hope that there’s now some change Agreed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705.md?page=4)