Kim Jong-Il dead

Well, what interesting times! It has just been announced that Kim Jong-Il, the leader of North Korea, has died "on a train trip to give field guidance to workers". This immediately raises tensions on the Peninsula, but is unlikely to result in any real harm to South Korea (or at least I hope not!). It does, however, introduce an enormous element of uncertainty about the future of the two Koreas. As the power struggle behind the scenes in Pyongyang play out (almost surely invisibly to us), we are likely to see a shift in the North's approach, especially if Kim Jong-Un retains power and is as cosmopolitan as a recent interview has made him out to be.