Kim Jong-il might be ill.

On Tuesday, the North Korean socialist state celebrated its 60th birthday with the notable absence of Kim Jong-il. U.S. intelligence has hinted that Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke, leaving one of the most prominent relics of the Cold War without its dear leader.

"Kim's health is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the world's first communist dynasty. Kim himself, at a summit with South Korea's president in October 2007, dismissed persistent media speculation he was ill.

His demise, without a clear succession plan like the one under which Kim took power from his father in 1994, could compound the multiple troubles posed by his nuclear-armed, impoverished, repressive and often belligerent state."

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSEO27579920080909?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

The reasons why the bankrupt North Korean state still manages to exist are complex, but perhaps the death of Kim may lead to a peaceful unification of the country modeled in the fashion of East and West Germany after the Cold War. Regardless, it sounds like the world is a ronery place right now for Kim.