2011 top story 5

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il died of a heart attack, according to officials in the North, while traveling on a train on Dec. 17. There had been rumors for years about the state of his health, and even at times about whether or not he was alive, and Kim began succession arrangements to have his third and youngest son, Kim Jong Un, take power upon his death. The twentysomething heir will inherit a country that is poor and starving, while enjoying the benefits of his family's wealth. This unpredictable successor also inherits a nuclear standoff with the west, and on the day his father's death was announced North Korea reportedly test-fired a short-range missile.