<a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=285766" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=285766</a><p>Interestingly enough, the same story was submitted earlier, is now [dead], and has been replaced by a lookalike.
Is there any reason why a successor to Kim Jong-Il could not take this place if he actually did pass away? It's not like the populace of North Korea is just waiting for him to die so that they can revolt. Or that the communist party would have to worry about losing power in an election to choose a new ruler.<p>The only reason I can see for North Korea to enact such a ruse would be to maintain the guise of a strong North Korean leader to the rest of the world while they groom a successor. I can't see many internal reasons why they would need to act in such a manner.
The article doesn't seem to indicate why they'd want to hide the fact?<p>I'd expect the power vacuum following found be pretty difficult to hide.<p>More logical explanation would be that he's using his doubles for exactly the intent he devised - to stand in for him.
Don't know, but if both doubles should turn up alive in the same room and you need to know which is the real one, step on the cat and see toward which double she flees. Be sure to check for a cat double though.
If this is true, it's a perfect way for the oppressive North Korean government to stay in power forever while foisting KJI doubles on us every time one of them dies.