‘Dear leader’ Kim Jong-il passes away

Kim Jong-il, the 69-year-old supreme leader of nuclear-armed North Korea, died Saturday during a train journey. His youngest son was made the "great successor", the country\’s official KCNA news agency announced Monday.

The KCNA said that the "Korean revolution" is now led by his son Kim Jong-un, and that the powerful "Workers\’ Party of Korea (WPK) members, servicepersons and all other people will be faithful to his leadership".

Kim Jong-un is the youngest son of Kim Jong-il and his late third wife Ko Yong-hui.

KCNA urged the communist nation to rally behind the younger Kim, who is believed to have been groomed to take over power and was appointed a general last year.

Kim died "from a great mental and physical strain at 08.30 Dec 17, 2011, on train during a field guidance tour", said the official media report.

Kim, who had received medical treatment for his cardiac diseases for a long period, suffered "an advanced acute myocardial infarction, complicated with a serious heart shock" on the train, reported Xinhua.

Kim had taken power in 1994 following the death of his father, Kim Il-sung.

Kim built a nuclear arsenal, which culminated in North Korea\’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006. Another test took place in 2009.

He led the country of an estimated population of 24 million with an iron hand.

The funeral for Kim Jong-il will be held in Pyongyang Dec 28, with the mourning period lasting till Dec 29. No foreign delegations will be allowed to attend the funeral.

Kim\’s description was laid in a massive mausoleum in Pyongyang where his father, Kim Il-sung, lies in state in a glass case.