# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/102 "2011-12-19T06:30:46Z")
I’ve merged two more threads on Kim’s death. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/103 "2011-12-19T06:33:04Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ve merged two more threads on Kim’s death. Jong Il’s busting out all over. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/104 "2011-12-19T06:57:13Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > 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. Worst case, it’s Somalia with nuclear weapons. ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/105 "2011-12-19T07:00:12Z")
I wonder if there’s any way for his son to be worse? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/106 "2011-12-19T07:13:20Z")
> [@BeaMyra](#): > > I wonder if there’s any way for his son to be worse? For all his problems, he never actually started shelling South Korea. It depends on how crazy the son is. If the world is lucky, he’s been playing along pretending to believe the nonsense, and will institute reforms. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/107 "2011-12-19T07:25:07Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > For all his problems, he never actually started shelling South Korea. Beg pardon? Those weren’t snowflakes landing on that island. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/108 "2011-12-19T07:26:22Z")
If only he were Kim Jong-Healthy instead. ---
**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, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/109 "2011-12-19T07:32:33Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > For all his problems, he never actually started shelling South Korea. > > It depends on how crazy the son is. If the world is lucky, he’s been playing along pretending to believe the nonsense, and will institute reforms. At least the kid got some schooling abroad (in Switzerland). ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/110 "2011-12-19T07:39:52Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I just wanted to say you don’t have to rely entirely on stories; you can see some of it for yourself in the excellent and bewildering documentary film that VICE made 3 years ago when they actually traveled to North Korea and filmed their visit. It’s in 3 parts and it’s one of the most fascinating and disturbing films I’ve ever seen. > > [You can see the first part here](http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3). > > I also have hope now that the plight of the people of this country will change for the better, and I would not be willing to bet against reconciliation happening in my lifetime. > > Sometimes, political events and movements happen extremely fast, like one stone being removed from a dam. I just watched that Vice Guide documentary - fascinating! It does auto-play all three parts, just for anyone who needs to know that. I remember watching the National Geographic one, instant on Netflix, which touched on the weirdness, but not as intensely at the Vice Guide one - he gave the real day-to-day “tourist” experience, where the Nat Geo crew got different treatment. Amazing to me how restricted the population is from knowing stuff, but the guards obviously get special training to know how to check digital memory cards - heck, even to just be able to figure out how to open a camera up to look. Yet, they don’t seem curious about why they don’t have stuff like this available for themselves. Just amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/111 "2011-12-19T08:15:22Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Beg pardon? Those weren’t snowflakes landing on that island. I meant Seoul. That island was a skirmish, if he gave the order on the DMZ artillery, that there would suck bad. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/112 "2011-12-19T08:30:12Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Hopefully his son isn’t as crazy as he was. That’s Kim Jong Un’s worry too. [Kim Jong-Un Privately Doubting He’s Crazy Enough To Run North Korea](http://www.theonion.com/articles/kim-jongun-privately-doubting-hes-crazy-enough-to,18374/) > [@](#): > > PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA—In surprisingly candid remarks today following his father’s death, Kim Jong-un, heir apparent to North Korea’s highest government post, expressed doubt that he was sufficiently out of his mind to succeed longtime dictator Kim Jong-il. > > While emphasizing that he was definitely completely insane and would likely become even more so as leader of North Korea, the younger Kim nevertheless wondered if he could ever be enough of a lunatic to truly replace the most unhinged dictator on the planet. An Onion exclusive. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/113 "2011-12-19T08:31:53Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Should we really be speaking Il of the dead? > ::I thank you:: Ding Jong, the witch is dead. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/114 "2011-12-19T08:41:52Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > What did you have against Vaclav Havel? Hey, if you want to make an omelet… ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/115 "2011-12-19T09:25:45Z")
They were grooming his son, but he looks like 130 pounds of chewed cookie dough, who else has the cult of personality to keep this rat ship afloat? ---
**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, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/116 "2011-12-19T09:30:16Z")
“See, I told you I was Il!” ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/117 "2011-12-19T09:54:54Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > “See, I told you I was Il!” I’m stealing this. ---
**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, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/118 "2011-12-19T10:07:16Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I’m stealing this. Itself paraphrase from Spike Milligan’s epitaph: Duirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite. ---
**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, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/119 "2011-12-19T10:59:33Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I was looking forward to witnessing the horrifying expressions of grief like when Kim Il-Sung died. And they’ve arrived: [get yer horrifying expressions of grief here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16241242). ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/120 "2011-12-19T12:48:24Z")
Actually if you read the DPRK NEws website [http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm](http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm) - which strangely had no mention of KJIs death as of 7:30 am today - there is constant lip service given to the importance of re-unifying Korea. Of course, they wanted all Koreans unified under the Juche ideology and led by Kim-il-Sung’s “Worker’s Party”, but reunification would not be a new idea to them. The whole country, and the rest of the world’s repsonse to it has always fascinated me. Fascinated is a terrible word, but I can’t think of a better one. I am horrified by the way we all sit back and do nothing, while every government is aware that thousands of people are tortured, starved, and enslaved in concentration camps there. I dearly hope that the UN will respond by sending food aid in shipments so huge the people can not pretend to refuse them. And I hope they’lll start by relieving the suffering of those in the camps. I am youtube deficient at the moent, but there are several stunning interviews available if you search on “North Korean Refugee.” One young man tells the story of the happiest day of his childhood (he was born at the camp) when he found a few grains of corn in the shit of a horse and wiped them off and ate them. He described his joy at finding such bounty. I’m going to call my elected representative today and make sure they know I want them to take this opportunity to intervene. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705/121 "2011-12-19T12:57:12Z")
If you send over grain the people in power will use some of it to feed their loyalists and hoard the rest. Nothing will reach the people who actually need it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-il-is-dead/606705.md?page=7)