THE Korean peninsula was placed on high alert after the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il tossed the volatile region into a new period of uncertainty.
Kim's death leaves the impoverished hermit kingdom, and its nuclear arsenal, notionally in the hands of his third son, Kim Jong-un, thought to be in his late 20s and now being dubbed the "Great Successor".
A weeping female newscaster on North Korean state TV made the surprise announcement of the 69-year-old dictator's death at midday (2pm AEDT) in Pyongyang.
South Korea put its military on emergency alert and increased border air surveillance.
Seoul also asked its US ally, which stations 28,500 troops in the South, to step up surveillance by planes and satellites, a US Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman said.
US Air Force F-16's in South Korea
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