ID :
36240
Thu, 12/18/2008 - 13:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/36240
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea releases photos of leader inspecting steel factory
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Thursday released photos of leader Kim Jong-il inspecting a steel factory, following up on an earlier report of the visit amid rumors of his failing health.
The photos from the North's Korean Central Television showed Kim listening to an
official's briefing at February General Steel Enterprise in Jagang Province, the
North's remote northern region.
Kim "gave field guidance" to the steel factory, Pyongyang said earlier through
another state media outlet, the Korean Central News Agency, giving no date for
the visit.
The release was the latest in a series of North Korean reports on Kim's public
activities, which seem intended to demonstrate he is still control of the state
despite rumors of his deteriorating health.
Just a day earlier, the news agency said Kim had visited an electronics research
center, a library and a pharmaceutical plant in the same province and followed up
with pertinent photos.
But it was not certain whether Kim was making the tours over two days or the
media outlets were merely stretching a shorter visit as he appeared in the same
outfits in both releases. Kim was wearing a silver winter parka, a brown fur hat,
a pair of silver gloves and his trademark dark sunglasses.
"Noting that it is very important for building an economic power to develop the
steel industry, he set forth the tasks to be fulfilled by the enterprise," the
latest report said.
Seoul and Washington officials have said the 66-year-old Kim is recovering after
undergoing brain surgery. Pyongyang's state media has since released photos of
him touring military units, factories and a sporting event but without specifying
the dates on when they were taken.
The photos have not been effective in quelling speculation on Kim's health, with
some showing traces of manipulation.
A French neurosurgeon who reportedly treated Kim in Pyongyang, Francois-Xavier
Roux, was quoted as saying by French newspaper Le Figaro last week that Kim did
in fact suffer a stroke but did not undergo surgery as was widely suspected, and
that he is now in better condition. Roux visited Pyongyang at the end of October,
the paper said.
Roux later recanted the report, saying he was misquoted.
Kim's health has been a subject of keen attention as he has not publicly
nominated a successor. Kim, who took power after his father and North Korean
founder Kim Il-sung died in 1994, is believed to have diabetes and heart
problems.
The photos from the North's Korean Central Television showed Kim listening to an
official's briefing at February General Steel Enterprise in Jagang Province, the
North's remote northern region.
Kim "gave field guidance" to the steel factory, Pyongyang said earlier through
another state media outlet, the Korean Central News Agency, giving no date for
the visit.
The release was the latest in a series of North Korean reports on Kim's public
activities, which seem intended to demonstrate he is still control of the state
despite rumors of his deteriorating health.
Just a day earlier, the news agency said Kim had visited an electronics research
center, a library and a pharmaceutical plant in the same province and followed up
with pertinent photos.
But it was not certain whether Kim was making the tours over two days or the
media outlets were merely stretching a shorter visit as he appeared in the same
outfits in both releases. Kim was wearing a silver winter parka, a brown fur hat,
a pair of silver gloves and his trademark dark sunglasses.
"Noting that it is very important for building an economic power to develop the
steel industry, he set forth the tasks to be fulfilled by the enterprise," the
latest report said.
Seoul and Washington officials have said the 66-year-old Kim is recovering after
undergoing brain surgery. Pyongyang's state media has since released photos of
him touring military units, factories and a sporting event but without specifying
the dates on when they were taken.
The photos have not been effective in quelling speculation on Kim's health, with
some showing traces of manipulation.
A French neurosurgeon who reportedly treated Kim in Pyongyang, Francois-Xavier
Roux, was quoted as saying by French newspaper Le Figaro last week that Kim did
in fact suffer a stroke but did not undergo surgery as was widely suspected, and
that he is now in better condition. Roux visited Pyongyang at the end of October,
the paper said.
Roux later recanted the report, saying he was misquoted.
Kim's health has been a subject of keen attention as he has not publicly
nominated a successor. Kim, who took power after his father and North Korean
founder Kim Il-sung died in 1994, is believed to have diabetes and heart
problems.
