US monitoring reports of Kim Jong-il's death

US officials have been in close touch with allies in South Korea and Japan.

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WASHINGTON // The US President Barack Obama has been notified of reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is dead and the US government is monitoring those reports, the White House said.

US officials have been in close touch with allies in South Korea and Japan, the White House said.

"We remain committed to stability on the Korean peninsula, and to the freedom and security of our allies," the White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a written statement.

North Korean state television said Kim had died on Saturday.