BBC News reports: “North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has died of a heart attack at the age of 69, state media has announced.

Millions of North Koreans had been ‘engulfed in indescribable sadness’, the KCNA news agency said. People were seen weeping in the capital Pyongyang.

His son Kim Jong-un was described by KCNA as the ‘great successor’ who North Koreans should unite behind.

Pyongyang’s neighbours are on alert. Unconfirmed South Korean reports say the North tested a missile on Monday.

Yonhap news agency in Seoul said a short-range missile was fired off the eastern coast of the poor and isolated nuclear-armed nation, but it was not clear if the test was connected to the announcement of Kim Jong-Il’s death.

South Korea put its armed forces on alert after the death was announced, saying the country was on a crisis footing. Japan’s government convened a special security meeting.

China – North Korea’s closest ally and biggest trading partner – expressed shock at the news of his death and pledged to continue making ‘active contributions to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in this region’.

Asian stock markets fell after the news was announced…” (This brutal dictator put many people to death. He’ll pay for his wicked ways – Revelation 21:8. His son will undoubtedly be just as vicious. See the next report.)

Voice of America News reports: “With a distant siren the only sound, an ocean of people bowed silently Thursday [December 29, 2011] before North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

From a balcony, he looked out over hundreds of thousands gathered for a silent memorial to his father – and a pledge of unwavering loyalty to him.

The North’s new leader is not yet 30-years-old, but is already referred to in state media as ‘Supreme Commander’ and ‘Great Successor.’

As the military fired weapons in salute, senior leaders flanking the younger Kim sought to leave no doubt about a smooth power transition from father to son…”