N. Korean leader having difficulty using limbs after stroke: report

SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has difficulty using his arms and legs after suffering a stroke and undergoing surgery performed by Chinese doctors last month, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported on Sunday.

Quoting unnamed Chinese sources, Kyodo said the 66-year-old North Korean leader collapsed on Aug. 14 and that Beijing dispatched five military doctors at the request of Pyongyang. The report did not say whether the doctors have returned home.

Kim will "require a long period of rest and rehabilitation" before he
fully recovers and has complete command of his limbs again, as with typical
stroke victims, Kyodo said, citing the sources.

Kim has ruled the isolated communist state with an iron fist since the mid-1990s,
when his father and North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, died.

Kim Jong-il has appeared at ceremonies celebrating the founding of his country
since 1991, but he did not appear last week at the 60th anniversary event,
fueling outside speculation over his health.

U.S. and South Korean officials told media that Kim is believed to have collapsed
from a stroke or a cerebral hemorrhage, while North Korea has denied the reports,
dismissing them as a "conspiracy plot."

On Sunday, North Korea's official media said Kim had sent a message
congratulating Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on his birthday.

samkim@yna.co.kr

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