The 69-year-old North Korean leader died of a heart attack Saturday. His death has world leaders watching the country closely.
Meantime, hundreds of South Koreans celebrated Kim's death on the streets of Seoul. They hope relations will now improve with their biggest enemy.
"Finally it has come. It has come," said Dr. Daniel Kim, a counselor for Fresno City College.
That was Dr. Kim's first thought Sunday when he heard that long-time North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il had died.
"A lot of Koreans are praying for an end to that regime," Kim said.
A native of South Korea, Kim grew up near the border that divided the north and south during the Korean War. His father was kidnapped from their home. Ten years ago, he learned from a North Korean government official that his family had relocated to the tip of the Korean peninsula and likely died. Kim still doesn't know if their deaths were natural or if they were killed under Kim Jong Il's regime.
Valley veterans advocate Charlie Waters believes not much will change now that Kim Jong Il is gone. Waters served in Korea for 13 months beginning in 1952.
"He did his country no favors. He truly didn't. And I'm happy because, as a veteran, they killed a lot of us. They killed a lot of us with their government, their form of life. And we were trying to save a nation," Waters said.
Kim says it could take 50 years to a century for any change to take place. He hopes it happens within his lifetime.
"I hope it doesn't last that long. Ten. Twenty. So, that I can see it," Kim said with a chuckle.
State media in North Korea reported that Kim Jong Il's funeral will be held on December 28th. A national mourning period will run through December 29th, it said.