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N. Korea Leader's Health A Question

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The New York Times

Published: September 10, 2008

WASHINGTON - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is seriously ill and might have suffered a stroke weeks ago, an American intelligence official in Washington said Tuesday, after Kim failed to attend an unexpectedly small-scale celebration of his country's 60th anniversary.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the exact status of the North Korean's health was unclear, but it did not seem Kim was on the verge of death.

Kim's health is the focus of intense attention among governments and security experts.

He leads one of the world's most isolated and unpredictable regimes, one with a nuclear weapons program that is the focus of international concern.

Kim had not missed any of the 10 previous military or militia parades staged for major party, military and state anniversaries, in which columns of armored vehicles and rocket launchers rumbled through Pyongyang's main plaza as legions of goose-stepping soldiers saluted him.

But for the 60th anniversary - a deeply significant milestone in Korea - there was only a parade by militia groups in charge of civil defense, which Kim did not attend, said a spokesman at Seoul's main spy agency, the National Intelligence Service.

There are few indications that North Korean officials are stepping up preparations for a transfer of authority.

South Korea's largest daily, Chosun Ilbo, reported that Kim collapsed Aug. 22, citing an unnamed South Korean diplomat in Beijing.

The North's state-run media have not reported any public appearance by Kim since mid-August, and speculation was already swirling that he might be in ill health. According to South Korea's intelligence service, Kim has chronic heart disease and diabetes. He is in his mid-60s.

Since North Korea was founded in 1948 under Soviet guardianship, it has had only two leaders: Kim Il Sung and, after his death in 1994, his son, Kim Jong Il, the first and only hereditary leader in the communist world.

POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS

•Kim Jong Nam, 37: Son with actress Sung Hae Rim, who died in Moscow in 2002. Had been favorite to succeed father but reportedly fell out of favor after being caught trying to enter Japan with forged Dominican passport in attempt to visit Tokyo's Disney resort.

•Kim Jong Chol, 27: Son with wife Ko Yong Hi, former dancer who died in 2004. Little known about him except that he spent part of school years in Bern, Switzerland, and is fan of NBA basketball.

•Kim Jong Un, 24: Younger son with Ko. Kenji Fujimoto, who says he served as Kim's private sushi chef for more than decade, says Kim Jong Un is the leader's favorite.

•Kim Yong Nam, 80: Kim Jong Il's No. 2, who often serves as the country's top diplomat.

The Associated Press

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