Kim Jong-il's vanishing act

A report in the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph claiming that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is seriously ill, coupled with his disappearance from public view for the past month, has led to speculation and concern about a post-Kim North Korea. If true, it would be very big news, as it opens up the possibility of many disagreeable things: the regime's collapse, a flood of refugees to neighboring countries, a bloody power struggle, or even a nuclear war in the case of a hardline military faction coming to power.