Kim Jong Il, the leader of North Korea has died. He was 69. He died on a train trip, a tearful state television announcer dressed in black, reported Monday. It is believed Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke in 2008 but appeared healthy recently in photos and video from recent trips to China and Russia.

Kim Jong Il was groomed for over 20 years to lead the communist nation of North Korea which was founded by his father.

News is now coming out of North Korea claiming there may be a behind-the-scenes power struggle or nuclear instability following Kim Jung Ills death. Since the country is isolated from the outside world, there is not much known about the man known as the 'Dear Leader.'

Soviet records indicate he was born in Siberia in 1941.

Kim Jong Il, a graduate of Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University, was 33 when his father anointed him his eventual successor.

Kim Jong Il took over in 1994 after his father died. He carried on his fathers tradition of 'military first,' devoting much of the country's scarce resources to its troops. During this time, millions of North Korean citizens starved. It is reported that North Korea has been unable to feed its own people and is desperate for aid..