A Dictator Goes...Another Arises

Sometime within the last 3 days North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il died.  The North Korean government claims that he died today, but it was reported by the state television that he died a few days ago.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is dead, North Korean state TV said Monday.

Kim, 69, died Saturday, state TV said.

South Korean news agency Yonhap -- which based its reporting on its monitoring off North Korean state television -- said that Kim had died of "physical fatigue" during a train ride. North Korean TV did not provide a more specific cause of death.

The son of Kim Il-song, the founder of the communist nation, Kim Jong-il had been in power since 1994 when his father died of a heart attack at age 82.

The enigmatic leader was a frequent thorn in the side of neighboring South Korea, as well as the United States. There have been reports in recent years about his health, as well as that power will be transitioned to his son, Kim Jong-un.

North Korean news reports earlier this fall indicated that Kim Jong Il had been traveling around the country and visiting China, a big change from 2009 when he was thought to be ill with cancer.

Two senior U.S. military officials said then that they believed the pace of North Korea's planned regime change from Kim to his 20-something son appeared to have slowed.

The son, also known as Kim, started his career as a four-star general and in recent years was given more official duties by his father.

Source

It is becoming very clear that Kim Jung-un is a very young man with no actual experience in running anything bigger than is mouth.  Although he has been groomed for the leadership, there is no sure guarantee for Jung-un that he will be the next "Beloved Leader".  In fact, unless he has the military backing his ascent, he will be taking a large fall from power.  Kim Jung-un is the youngest of 3 sons.  He might have to fend off an assault from the oldest son (who had been groomed for the leadership for many years before Jung-un was chosen.) Kim Jung-nam.  And then there is middle son, Kim Jong-chul who might just make a play for power too.

North Korea is a nuclear power and this will be a very turbulent time.  Let us pray that none of the 3 sons of Kim Jong-il don't try to prove their power by using one of their nuclear weapon.

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

Little Dictators Shouldn't Talk So Much.

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

This is very good advice for Kim Jong-il, the current Leader Big Cheese running the country insane asylum known as North Korea.

North Korea's army said Monday it is ready to "blow up" South Korea and the U.S., hours after the allies kicked off annual military drills that Pyongyang has slammed as a rehearsal for attack.

South Korea and the U.S. — which normally dismiss such threats as rhetoric — began 11 days of drills across South Korea on Monday morning to rehearse how the U.S. would deploy in time of emergency on the Korean peninsula.

The U.S. and South Korea argue the drills — which include live firing by U.S. Marines, aerial attack drills and urban warfare training — are purely defensive. North Korea claims they amount to attack preparations and has demanded they be canceled.

The North's People's Army issued a statement Monday, warning the drills created a tense situation and that its troops are "fully ready" to "blow up" the allies once the order is issued.

The North also put all its soldiers and reservists on high alert to "mercilessly crush the aggressors" should they encroach upon the North's territory even slightly, said the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The communist country has issued similar rhetoric in the days leading up the drills. On Sunday, it said it would bolster its nuclear capability and break off dialogue with the U.S. in response to the drills.

South Korea's military has been closely monitoring Pyongyang's maneuvers but hasn't seen any signs of suspicious activities by North Korean troops, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said earlier Monday.

"We see it as (North Korea's) stereotype denouncement," Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae told reporters.

Finish reading here.

It is a well known fact that North Korea has only a handful of nuclear weapons.  Intelligence estimates put the figure at 6-8 weapons.  Not a very large arsenal.

Current estimates of the US nuclear arsenal is over 5,000 weapons.  A very great difference.  In layman's terms:  "The United States could wipe out every living thing in North Korea in less than a few hours.  North Korea could wipe out a couple of cities, (if they were very lucky) but that is that."

What has happened is that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (AKA Monkeyman), has been running off his mouth again.  Especially after North Korea helped to build the Iranian new missile launch pad.

Iran's development of a missile launch facility in the northern province of Semnan and its Simorgh missile project both indicate that the militant Shiite theocracy is probably collaborating with North Korea on its missile program. The platforms seen on the Semnan launch pad's new gantry tower – a multi-level tower for servicing missiles before launch – resemble those seen on the gantry tower at North Korea’s new Tongchang launch pad. A drainage pit 170 meters directly in front of the pad also seems like a copy of one at Pyongyang’s new site.

In addition, the first stage of the Simorgh missile strongly resembles the North Korean Unha-2, with four clustered engines and near-identical dimensions.

Photographs and information about the likely collaboration between Iran and North Korea have appeared on security news sites Defense Update and Jane's IHS.

Defense Update also reported that east of the active site, “the Iranians are constructing a new facility that could be supporting the Iranian solid rocket propulsion development, associated with the Sejjil and Ashura missiles or even larger missiles” – and noted that “according to Jane's Intelligence analysts, the site could be associated with the next-generation Simorgh rocket.”

The Simorgh, unveiled in early February, is officially intended to be used as a space-launch vehicle, but it could be converted for launching long-range ballistic missiles for military purposes.

Satellite images indicate that the launch pad has “a fully constructed flame bucket” – the structure that diverts the missile's exhaust gases from the hillside. The launch site is linked through tubing to a nearby, sheltered underground facility. The gantry tower is approximately 18–20 meters tall, and the flame bucket is nearly as high as the tower. Jane's analysts assume the construction appears midway towards completion.

For the record: The images above came from an Israeli spy satellite.

I expect the third ghoulish member of this trio:  Hugo Chavez to rear up his ugly head and start screaming about Israel, the US and wiping every one off the map.

And Barack Obama promised to make things better with these clowns.  Great Change going there Mr. President!