I thought this piece on Kim Jong-il's condition might be of interest to some of you....

Tokyo Shukan Bunshun in Japanese – 20 Jun 07: ROK Intelligence Source: German Doctors Fail to Treat Kim Jong Il's Heart Condition. A political reporter says: "Six heart specialists traveled from Germany to Pyongyang in May and stayed eight days. Naturally, they are believed to have examined Kim Jong Il. According to a ROK intelligence source, Kim Jong Il's condition was so bad that there was nothing they could do, so the German doctors went home without doing anything. He says Kim will 'die a slow death in the near future,' so Kim's condition can well be said to be 'critical'." Kim Jong Il turned 65 this year. There have been reports of his "serious illness" in the past. However, this time, the situation seems to be a bit different. First, let us look at developments in China. A journalist familiar with Chinese affairs says: "Last March, the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang invited Kim Jong Il to a reception to celebrate the Lantern Festival that marks the end of the lunar new year holidays. Kim Jong Il ate two rice cakes from China, one with black sesame and walnut fillings, the other with coconut fillings. At that time, Kim's face was swollen. His steps, unlike his previous vigorous, brisk steps, were very slow and listless. Moreover, it has been reported that his legs were so swollen that this was evident even through his trousers. In China, the expression "swollen feet" has the nuance of 'approaching death.' The fact that the Chinese side used that expression probably means they believe his health condition is very bad." It is said that there are also some intriguing developments in Beijing. The above reporter says: "Since about two weeks ago, there have been reports of North Korean students in China returning home." This has also affected the political timetable. A General Association of Korean Residents in Japan [Ch'ongnyo'n] official reveals: "A major national unification celebration is scheduled to be held in Pyongyang on 14 June to mark the seventh anniversary of the North-South Summit. Yet, there has not been any proposal for working level meetings with the ROK government delegation expected to participate in the celebration. As a result, the ROK Government has given up on sending a delegation." On the Banco Delta Asia issue, although the United States made face-saving proposals for North Korea, its slow response "might be due to Kim Jong Il's poor health, which made him unable to make the final decision," says an international journalist. [passage omitted on earlier reports on Kim's illness and denial thereof] South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) ruled out the information about Kim Jong Il's heart surgery, saying, "There is no evidence." A Japan-DPRK diplomatic source says, "The team of German doctors replied to TV reporters' questions, saying they 'did operations on four men including labors and one nurse, not Kim Jong Il.' However, it is obviously unnatural for them to take the trouble to go to North Korea for ordinary people. Whether they performed surgery or not, it is certain that they had a look at Kim Jong Il." Meanwhile, there are eyewitness reports of Kim Jong Il. "A South Korean paper reported that Kim Jong Il visited a factory in Yongch'o'n on 7 June, saying he looked cheerful and healthy. His visits to private firms were reported four times in June. He made appearances more frequently than before, so it can be said that he is trying to give the impression that he is healthy" (in the words of a correspondent in Beijing). There is another opinion on the eyewitness information. A foreign news reporter says, "Since 6 May, he has not appeared before the military. Of his inspections last year, military-related inspections accounted for two-third. So it is strange that he has not appeared before the military for a long time." A person concerned at the Foreign Ministry says, "There is a possibility that the military is manipulating information. North Korea's food shortage this year is more serious than past years, and there is growing turbulence within the military. So I think the information [on Kim Jong Il's health condition] may have been leaked with a certain intent." Tsutomu Nishioka, permanent vice chairman of the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea, speculates, "Some people concerned say that behind the flow of such information is the possibility that an announcement of his designated successor will be made in the near future. It has been said that when Kim Il Song [Kim Il-so'ng] designated Kim Jong Il as his successor, North Korea, in order to show both at home and abroad the reason for making the designation, deliberately spread information about Kim Il Song's bad health condition by saying, 'Kim Il Song's lump is malignant.'" So, who will be his successor? Kim Jong Il has three sons, Kim Cho'ng-nam, who was detained at Narita Airport when he was going to Tokyo Disneyland, Kim Cho'ng-ch'o'l, and Kim Cho'ng-un. A person well versed in Japan-DPRK affairs says, "The three sons are respectively supported by the party and senior military officials, and they have their own faction. Since they are in a succession race, there will inevitably be confusion no matter who will be Kim Jong Il's successor." If the Kim dynasty collapses, it will bring the biggest opportunity to settle the abduction issue, says Nishioka. He adds, "As long as Japan goes on sending a message placing emphasis on the abduction issue, there is a high possibility that North Korea may come to think 'Returning Japanese abductees could make money,' relying on Japan for economic cooperation. This is because his successor can impute all the criminal acts to Kim Jong Il and his followers." Yet, the turmoil in the East Asia situation as a whole is likely to become worse. Journalist Yoshiko Sakurai says, "Already, North Korea is virtually becoming China's economic colony. The Chinese yuan has been circulated, and 70 to 80 percent of commodities are China-made. If the Kim dynasty collapses, China's influence will further increase, and the North Korean government will be a puppet in the hands of China. Since the ROK led by Roh Moo-hyun [No Mu-hyo'n] administration is pro-China and anti-United States, the whole Korean Peninsula may fall under China's influence. That means that the China-DPRK border will come down to the Sea of Japan. For Japan, it is a national crisis." How will the Japanese Government deal with "the X day for the Kim regime's collapse?"

If his heart is getting worse, that's a good thing. Not to sound mean or anything here, but if he was to die (not that I like people dying or anything), many N. Korean would probably live.

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V for Vendetta.

Bull's article on KIm's illness is over a year old now. I'm not sure if there have been any new developments. In fact, we haven't heard from Bull for a while!

Great stuff to read, thanks for sharing it.

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Bill Consolidation