World

North Korea denies Kim is unwell

by Sanjay Jha | September 10, 2008 at 04:01 am

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Communist leadership of North Korea have denied that its leader Kim Jong is seriously ill. The news came after an intelligence official reportedly told South Korean MPs that Mr Kim had suffered a cerebral haemorrhage which caused a stroke. Despite the denial Mr Kim has not been seen in public since early last month. He has been known to disappear from public view for extended periods before, only to reappear unheralded later.

North Korea has rebuffed reports that leader Kim Jong-il is seriously ill, following his failure to appear at an important military parade.
"We see such reports as not only worthless but rather as a conspiracy plot," top North Korean diplomat Song Il-ho told Japan's Kyodo news agency.
South Korea's intelligence agency told MPs that Mr Kim had suffered a stroke but was likely to fully recover.
Other reports indicated Mr Kim "almost certainly" had health problems.
The reclusive leader was absent from a parade in Pyongyang on Tuesday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of North Korea.
Abnormal Indications
The North Korean diplomat in charge of relations with Japan, Song Il-ho, was the first Pyongyang official to dismiss claims that the leader was seriously ill.