S. Korea on high alert after Kim's death

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- South Korea's military is on emergency alert following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, officials said Monday.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it has increased monitoring activities along the border, Yonhap reported.

South Korean Army Gen. Jung Seung-jo, chairman of the JCS, and U.S. Army Gen. James Thurman, commander of the U.S. forces in Korea, agreed not to raise the level of Watchcon, an anti-North Korea surveillance alert, from level 3 to level 2.

Yonhap said level 2 signifies a state of emergency with indications of a vital threat from North Korea.

"Since there is a great deal of shock within North Korea after the passing of its leader, the generals decided South Korea and the United States should not create an unnecessary sense of crisis," Yonhap quoted a South Korean military official as saying.