South Korean Official Says North Leader Recovering

Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap

[By Yoo Cheong-mo: "N. Korean Leader Rapidly Improving From Illness: Official"]

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Il [Kim Cho'ng-il] is certain to be ill at present, but has recovered enough to brush his teeth on his own, a South Korean government official said Friday.

“We have obtained information that Kim can brush his teeth without help from others,” the Seoul official said on condition of anonymity, dismissing speculative reports that the reclusive communist leader is partially paralysed or in critical condition.

“However, the South Korean government is still closely watching Kim’s health and other situations in North Korea in anticipation of an emergency there.”

The official also noted that Kim is believed to have collapsed from a stroke, but the possibility of his illness being a minor brain disorder cannot be ruled out.

Asked when Seoul first obtained reliable information on Kim’s health problem, the official said there was a lapse of about two to three weeks between when the leader fell ill and Seoul learned of the news.

The latest flurry of speculation surrounding Kim’s health began after he failed to appear at the North’s 60th founding anniversary military parade in Pyongyang on Tuesday, and reports had surfaced of Western and Chinese doctors flying into the communist state.

Seoul’s intelligence chief, Kim Sung-ho [Kim So'ng-ho] [Kim Seong- ho], confirmed in a parliamentary briefing the following day that the North Korean leader was in the midst of recovering from a stroke.

President Lee Myung-bak [Ri Myo'ng-pak] has instructed his Cabinet to be fully prepared for any abrupt change in North Korea’s political situation.

Originally published by Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English 0608 12 Sep 08.

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