Seoul has no plans to raise defense alert against N.K.: minister

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- Seoul does not plan to raise the level of defense readiness since no unusual activity in the North Korean military has been detected following reports of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's illness, a top defense official here was quoted as saying on Thursday.

South Korean intelligence officials concluded that Kim suffered from a cerebral
hemorrhage last month and was operated on by foreign surgeons. The high-profile
communist leader, who has been absent from the public eye since Aug. 14, is known
to be "recovering quickly," officials confirmed, indicating there will
be no immediate change in his tightly-controlled regime.

"We have not found anything unusual suggesting signs of leadership change in
the North Korean military," Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee was quoted as
saying by ruling party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min during a closed-door parliamentary
session Thursday.

"We are prepared for any new developments," he said. "But it
appears unnecessary to raise the Defcon 5 (Defense Readiness Condition) status to
Defcon 3, which could trigger public concerns and irritate the North."

Affirming earlier reports of Kim's illness, Minister Lee raised the possibility
that the North Korean leader could have been treated at the Bonghwa Clinic in
Pyongyang, reserved only for high-ranking officials.

"Satellite photos show the number of cars and buses (visiting the clinic)
increased since mid-August," he said.

Lee also said the ministry was paying close attention to North Korea's purported
construction of a second missile launch facility on its west coast.

"We believe the facility is 80 percent complete and we are observing the
process closely," he said.

According to recent reports, North Korea is building a larger, more advanced
missile launch facility near Pongdong-ri on its west cost, from which it will be
able to fire intercontinental ballistic missiles or rockets to put satellites
into orbit.

Kim, 66, was notably absent from a parade on Tuesday commemorating the communist
state's 60th founding anniversary, an unusual move that escalated rumors he may
be seriously ill.

Seoul has been on maximum alert, trying to verify Kim's condition while
maintaining a low-key posture among officials, as a power vacuum could trigger
intense diplomatic changes between the two divided countries.

Kim took power after his father, and North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung died of
heart failure in 1994. The junior Kim has not groomed a strong heir-apparent from
among his three sons, although the second-eldest is considered the favorite so
far.

The nuclear-armed North has recently retreated from a six-party denuclearization
agreement by threatening to restart its nuclear reactor.

The deal, struck with South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia,
promises to remove the North from the U.S. list of terrorism sponsors after it
gives up its atomic activities, but Pyongyang claims Washington has failed to
honor its side of the pledge.

hayney@yna.co.kr

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