The Region Reacts To North Korean Leadership Change.

As expected the abrupt leadership transition in North Korea has those in the region quite nervous. No one seems certain as to how the newest North Korean leader will proceed. The tensions in the region is already at an all time high, and the willingness of the Chinese to aid its most loyal ally isn’t a comforting sign.
North Korea does have a small nuclear arsenal that consists of about 6 nuclear bomb. Their biggest threat as explained in the article below would be to possibly destabilize the region. They could pose a threat to the American troops stationed in South Korea as well as South Korea itself. North Korea could also be persuaded to covertly sell one of its nuke’s to a radical organization who feels the same way they do about the West.
If this seems as though I am speculating way too much the countries in the region appear to echo this sentiment. The South Korean and Japans stock market were down on Monday. South Korea commenced a series of defense military exercises along with the test launching of short range missiles. Troops stationed in Japan were also alerted just in case Kim Jung Un decides to follow the radical footsteps of his now diseased father. You can read more about what took place today in the region here http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/north-korea-nuclear-fears-heightened-by-leaders-death/2011/12/19/gIQAZqJW4O_blog.html

Leadership Change in North Korea.

According to the Associated Press yesterday, the former North Korean dictator, Kim Jung Il died at the age of 69. The report states that Il died as a result of health complications he had been battling for a long time. In 2010, Kim Jung Il chose his future successor. He appointed his third son Kim Jung Un to assume power like his father had done with him. Jung Il was in power for nearly 17 years. Kim Jung Un like his father is known for his bad temper along with his allegiance to North Korea’s most trusted ally communist China. The tension in the region is already at an all time high especially after North Korea attacked a South Korean island in the past few months. How much China is able to manipulate Un to escalate an already fractured relationship with the United States still remains to be seen. The possibility of a military conflict with the South though just went up a notch. You can read more about Kim Jung Il’s sudden death here http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_KOREA_KIM_JONG_IL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-18-22-08-46