SEOUL , South Korea ( CNN ) -- Kim Jong Un issued his first military orders as leader of North Korea just before the death of his father was announced , a South Korean state-run news agency said Wednesday . Citing `` a South Korean source , '' Yonhap reported that Kim `` ordered all military units to halt field exercises and training and return to their bases . '' The source called it a sign that Kim Jong Il 's son , believed to be in his late 20s , had taken `` complete control over the military , '' Yonhap reported . An intelligence official said North Korea may be trying to prevent attempted defections as the country goes through a tumultuous transition , the report said . In Seoul , questions have been raised over why South Korean intelligence was apparently unaware of Kim Jong Il 's death until the official announcement . Both Won Sei Hoon , who heads South Korea 's National Intelligence Service , and Defense Minister Kim Kwan Jim `` came under fire '' after admitting they learned of the death from TV news coverage , Yonhap reported . Just over the border in Dandong , China , CNN spoke with a defector who was scared of North Korean spies watching him . `` North Koreans do n't speak openly , '' the man said . `` If anyone knows I 'm talking , I would be sent to prison and there 's no mercy there . I would be shot dead . '' He painted a grim picture of life in North Korea , where he said people are starving , aid is scarce , and the only operating factories serve the military . `` Pig feed , that 's all we can eat , '' he says , adding , `` There is no food , not even food from China . It 's been blocked for three years . '' His son and daughter remain inside North Korea . He crosses back and forth every six months to keep his family alive . He told CNN he fears a desperate country with a potential power vacuum that could lash out . Before Kim Jong Il died , `` he was preparing the country for war and death , and to hand power to Kim Jong Un , '' the man said . Other North Koreans in Dandong were openly weeping over the death of their `` dear leader , '' as he was called in his country . North Korean state-run news agency KCNA , meanwhile , carried messages praising Kim Jong Il . The top story on the agency 's English language website Wednesday , dated Tuesday , said Kim Jong Il `` dedicated himself to the happiness of the people all his life . '' `` He had a noble wish , '' the KCNA report said . `` It was to bring the greatest happiness and honor to the people even if he had plucked a star from the sky and grown flowers even on a rock . '' CNN 's Stan Grant , Chi Chi Zhang , and Josh Levs contributed to this report .
Kim Jong Un issued military orders before his father 's death was announced , Yonhap reports . The state-run news agency cites a source saying the younger Kim controls the military . 2 top South Korean officials are under fire for learning of Kim Jong Il 's death via TV . A defector tells CNN of starvation inside North Korea .