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Kns / AFP - Getty Images
This undated picture, released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Dec.17, 2011, shows North Korean lreader Kim Jong Il (C), accompanied by his son Kim Jong Un (2nd-L), inspecting the Kwangbok Area Supermarket just before opening in Pyongyang. It is said to be the elder Kim's last public appearance.
The official report said that North Korea's "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il died on a train at 8:30 on Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack during a "high intensity field inspection." State media reported his death on Monday.
Now, North Korea experts in South Korea are calling into question that account, saying North Korea likely made it all up, according to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper website.
Among the details they say don't make sense:
- Freezing weather: Kim was known for a nocturnal lifestyle and rarely got up before noon, and would have unlikely risen early in 20-degree temperatures for a field inspection.
- Train didn't move: South Korea's intelligence director testified that Kim's special train - equipped with four hospital cars - did not move out of the station the entire weekend.
- Witnesses: Kim always traveled with a large entourage, but the news of his death was kept secret for 50 hours.
Citing South Korean sources, the newspaper speculates Kim most likely died at home.
Source: North Korea coup 'unlikely'
"Death on the train is possibly the best story that the North Korean regime can use to promote Kim as a hardworking leader who worked for the people until the moment he died. North Koreans would feel there's a huge difference between an easy and peaceful death in his bed and death at work far from home," a South Korean source told the newspaper.
Meanwhile, South Korea's main opposition party is calling for the dismissal of top intelligence, security and foreign affairs officials for failing to know about Kim's death before it was officially announced.
Politics trump hunger in North Korea
The South Korean defense minister and other officials have acknowledged that they learned of Kim's death at the same time Pyongyang's state media told the world Monday.
The admission has caused anger among many South Koreans who worry that Kim's death might trigger instability on the Korean peninsula.
The Democratic Party said Wednesday that President Lee Myung-bak should fire officials responsible for the intelligence lapse.
More from msnbc.com and NBC News:
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north koreans might be lying? really?
And how many more sociopaths and nut cases are leaders of this world ?? He was not the only one, that is for sure but he was one of the worst.
We need to put people like Dick Cheney and Bush 2 on the list.
Good ridance!
From what cnn said the son gave his first military order before he died, to bring home the field troops so he can monitor them, means something is rotten in NK. Maybe the son is planning something big once he knows he has full control of the military.... high un
Who cares where he died, the fact he is dead is reason to party.
How he died might be interesting.
In my opinion he died just like John Paul, by injection.
Assuming that you mean John Paul I?
I guess we'll never know because the CIA found out when the news told them. That criminal organization of hacks and incompetents that said there were WMD, yellow cake purchased in Niger, outed Valerie Plame, couldn't stop 9/11,...... fail, fail, fail, at every turn. Waste trillions. Murder millions. Your American CIA! UnAmerican criminal hacks that cause MORE insecurity, not provide more security.
So the CIA outed its own agent? Interesting ... Who framed Scooter Libby?
Who cares? The Red is dead!
Death is death if you liked him or not,pray to your god or gods and lets all look to the near out look on the world.Does anyone out there want peace or all the hoopla of kill kill kill.If you come to Tennessee and try to take our RIGHTS away you better bring HELP.NO @#$!@$#$%^%^ LOTS OF HELP
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind... cheering the death of someone else is classless, barbaric, and... quite "axis of evilish"... you do what they do, it makes you no better.
Perhaps he died on a horse?
In a plane, on a train, on a boat, or a goat. We miss him not i am, we miss him not says I am!!
More like a Merry -go-round for the last HHHUUUUMMMMM years!!!
The Point is not what a dork Kim Jong Il was, the point is that the info about his death was most likely faked.
I am appalled at all of you !!! You can't actually believe a government would (knowingly) lie to people, right ? Governments always tell the truth.
Santa is going to bring you some very nice presents, indeed, for you're such a GOOD LITTLE BOY!
And don't forget to leave some of your Kool Aid out for Santa....
Their just trying to promote a nice scenic train ride.., in celebration of Kim's death.....
he can rest with the likes of hussein , kadaffi , bin ladden .
Everybody, let's get on the ride.
I think that the ol' boy died of a heart attack while doing a 3 way with two Korean Massage Girls-that's the way I'd like to see it play out!
Early press reports said Kim died from being "overly stressed physically and mentally". Broken down that translates to.....he got totally confused and blew a fuse tryin' to figure out what color of green jumpsuit to wear, and dress himself without any help! Yup, that's some "supreme leader" lol
Oh, the stress of choosing, which Mercedes to ride in; the stress of having to decide which colonel to have publically executed by having his testicles burned off this month for "suspicion of disloyalty", the stress of having to hear this crap about how the peasants are starving while having your gourmet dinner (note to self:execute the messenger), the stress of which $2500 bottle to crack into next, the stress of which son to leave this circus to, God, life is stressful...... uh..........
that guy in the glass coffin is a wax figure
OK who gives a rats ass...
Who cares as long the midget is DEAD. Train, plane or automobile. Bike, scooter or skateboard.
I can see where it is news to report his death but to go on and about where and how he died seems senseless to me. Maybe the North and South Koreans care, but I'm willing to bet not many Americans care where or how he died. He's dead end of story.
What's wrong with these dirty North Koreans, don't they know that America is the only country that gets to fabricate details in the news??? Shame on them?
I will watch Team America again for the puke scene,the doll-screwing scene,Baldwin as the head of FAG,plus Matt Damon and the dear leader sarcastically reproduced in all their truthful glory...I wish he was still alive so I could force him to watch it,and laugh at himself,as I did....
The Great Leader actually died after playing 18 holes of golf. In which he shot an 18.
Really? I heard faux snooze repoted that he DIED FIRST, and THEN played 18 holes of golf and shot an 18.