N. Korean leader Kim dead: state TV

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has died, and the communist country must now follow his son Kim Jong-Un, state media announced Monday.

The 69-year-old leader died on Saturday, December 17, at 8:30 am (2330 GMT Friday), a weeping announcer on state television said. No cause of death was given but he suffered a stroke in August 2008.

The official news agency KCNA said Kim died on board a train during one of his field trips outside the capital. It called on North Koreans to follow's Kim's son and designated successor Kim Jong-Un. (AFP)