BEIJING, Dec 19, 2011 (AFP) - China on Monday offered its "deep condolences" on the death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, a foreign ministry spokesman said. "We are shocked to learn that DPRK top leader comrade Kim Jong Il passed away and we hereby express our deep condolences on his demise and send sincere regards to the DPRK people," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said. China i...

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- The North Korean military and people have pledged to follow the leadership of the late leader's heir apparent Kim Jong-un to carry on the legacy of the communist state, its state media said Monday, amid growing uncertainty over the power transition. The North's state media reported earlier in the day that 69-year-old Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack two days earlier....

North Korea was unlikely to make any dramatic policy changes concerning its relations with South Korea for the time being following the death of its leader Kim Jong-il, experts said Monday. With the third-generation power succession process yet to be completed, North Korea is likely to prioritize stabilizing the country in the aftermath of the leader’s death and focus on domestic issues to facil...

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government has made no decision on whether to express condolences on the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a senior official at the foreign ministry said Monday. President Lee Myung-bak was holding an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting to discuss countermeasures after North Korea's state media reported that Kim died of a heart at...

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul government set up an emergency economic monitoring center Monday to help minimize possible impact from growing regional uncertainties stemming from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death. The move came hours after the North's state media reported that Kim died Saturday while on a field guidance tour. "Economic uncertainty will likely grow due to the change ...

President Lee Myung-bak called on South Koreans on Monday to remain calm and focus on their usual business without being shaken by the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, his office said. The statement came after Lee held an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. "The government will keep thorough preparedness while keeping a close watch over the situation in North Korea," th...

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed Monday to work closely together to cope with the aftermath of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, an official said. In a telephone call around 2 p.m., the two leaders agreed that the two allies will keep a close watch over the communist North and cooperate closely to deal with the situation, presidential spokes...

South Korean lawmakers held emergency meetings of various committees to discuss the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and how to cope with its aftermath. The North's state media reported earlier in the day that the 69-year-old Kim died of a heart attack on Saturday. South Korea's military has been placed on emergency alert and its foreign ministry also placed its overseas diplomatic missi...

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- The sudden death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il triggered speculation over whether his heir-apparent son, Kim Jong-un, will take over the country as planned. Kim Jong-un has been groomed as the leader-in-waiting since last year when he was named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party and a four-star general. Kim is expected t...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Kim Jong Il, the mercurial and enigmatic North Korean leader whose iron rule and nuclear ambitions dominated world security fears for more than a decade, has died. He was 69. Kim's death 17 years after he inherited power from his father was announced Monday by the state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The country's ``Dear Leader'' _ reputed to have ...

Australia on Monday said it was critical governments exercised calm and restraint after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, while urging Pyongyang to engage with the global community. The North's state media, in a shock announcement, reported Monday that the 69-year-old Kim died of a heart attack Saturday while on board a train during one of his field trips. Australian Foreign Ministe...

TOKYO, Dec 19, 2011 (AFP) - Japan called an emergency security meeting Monday to formulate its reaction to news of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. Minutes after the noon broadcast by Pyongyang's official media, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda cancelled a speech and rushed back to his office where he held a meeting of senior ministers. "I am aware that the report has been ma...