The North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who suffered a stroke last August, was also found to have “life-threatening” pancreatic cancer around the same time, a South Korean cable television network reported on Monday.
The network, YTN, a cable news channel, quoted unidentified Chinese and South Korean intelligence sources for the report, which was made by YTN’s Beijing-based correspondent.
YTN did not explain how the sources obtained such medical information about Mr. Kim from North Korea, an isolated, nuclear-armed state that historically has kept details of its leader’s health a closely guarded secret.
But if the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is true, Mr. Kim may not have much longer to live. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to detect early, it spreads rapidly and the fatality rate is high. The World Health Organization says fewer than 5 percent of patients with pancreatic cancer live longer than five years.
Although Mr. Kim began making occasional public appearances a few months after he mysteriously disappeared last August, photographs of him and television images recently carried by the North Korean media showed him limping and frail.
Mr. Kim’s loss of weight, in particular, has elevated speculation about the severity and nature of what is wrong with him.
His health and who is going to succeed him at the top of one of the world’s most secretive states are most intensely monitored issues.
Mr. Kim looked gaunt during a public appearance last Wednesday at a memorial for his father, the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung. Mr. Kim inherited power after his father died in 1994 at the age of 82.
American intelligence officials said last fall that Mr. Kim was seriously ill, although the exact nature of his illnesses has been a matter of speculation.
A French neurosurgeon who has treated Mr. Kim said the North Korean leader did have a stroke last August. In December, the doctor, François-Xavier Roux, told Le Figaro, the French daily newspaper: “Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke but did not undergo an operation. He is now better.”
Mr. Kim’s health is a topic of intense international interest, in large part because world leaders and governments are unclear about who would succeed him. North Korea is one of the world’s most unpredictable nations, and any transfer of power will focus new attention on the security of its nuclear arsenal.
In May, North Korea tested its second nuclear device in a move that shocked and angered the international community. Even China, the North’s closest ally, condemned the test.
Mr. Kim has three known sons, and in recent months there have been widespread reports — many of them thinly sourced — that the youngest son, Kim Jong-un, has been designated the heir apparent.
Mark McDonald contributed reporting from Hong Kong.
Click here to enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Times for 50% off. Past CoverageON WASHINGTON; Second Thoughts on North Korea's Inscrutable Ship (July 1, 2009)Photo Stirs Speculation on North Korean Leader (June 30, 2009)NEWS ANALYSIS; Will Sanctions Ever Work on North Korea? (June 13, 2009)North Korean Is Said to Pick A Son as Heir (June 3, 2009) Related Searches Kim Jong Il Get E-Mail Alerts North Korea Get E-Mail Alerts Next Article in World (4 of 22) » Advertise on NYTimes.com MOST POPULAR E-Mailed Blogged Searched Frank Rich: She Broke the G.O.P. and Now She Owns It Collect Now, or Later? Timing Social Security Benefits Watching Whales Watching Us The Crab Houses of Maryland’s Eastern Shore Nicholas D. Kristof: Clean, Sexy Water Op-Ed Contributor: Sweet, Tweet Revenge IPhone Apps to Organize Your Life How to Start a Company (and Kiss Like Angelina) Cheney Is Linked to Concealment of C.I.A. Project 36 Hours in Aix-en-Provence Go to Complete List » Cheney Is Linked to Concealment of C.I.A. Project She Broke the G.O.P. and Now She Owns It For Palin, a Long March to a Short-Notice Resignation Defending Agenda, President Urges Public Patience on Economy Obama Faces a New Push to Look Back Goldman Sachs Likely to Post Huge Profits, Analysts Say Boiling the Frog The Invisible Hand, Trumped by Darwin? Path to Court: Speak Capably but Say Little In Ghana, Obama Preaches Tough Love Go to Complete List » health michael jackson obama cancer july 3, 2009 china modern love palin maureen dowd iran Go to Complete List » new Accordian("mostPopWidget"); Sacha Baron Cohen as "Bruno"
Also in Movies »
Soldiers on a live wire between peril and protocol Notes from the prehistoric underground Advertisements Inside NYTimes.com Week in Review » Rumbles on the Rim of China’s Empire Opinion » Letters: Helping Students, In and Out of School Books » Books: Giant Step, Full Stop Opinion » Editorial: A Plan for Coney Island
Coney Island could get moving again, if the City Council approves an ambitious redevelopment plan.
N.Y. / Region » Copa N.Y.C. to Unite Communities Theater » Theater’s Trans-Atlantic Whirlwind Music » Music: The Diva Has Issues Opinion » Room for Debate: Ban Roadside Memorials? World » In Sweden, Search for Berries Yields Field of Gold Opinion » Op-Ed: Microsoft v. Google
In the Microsoft-Google war, consumers and innovation both lose.
U.S. » A Reservation’s Rising but Doubted Dream Business » Blogger Approval May Please Sponsors Home World U.S. N.Y. / Region Business Technology Science Health Sports Opinion Arts Style Travel Jobs Real Estate Automobiles Back to Top Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company Privacy Policy Terms of Service Search Corrections RSS First Look Help Contact Us Work for Us Site Map Tacoda_AMS_DDC_addPair("t_section","World, Asia") Tacoda_AMS_DDC_addPair("site","nytimes.com") Tacoda_AMS_DDC("http://te.nytimes.com/tte/blank.gif","1.0")
Coney Island could get moving again, if the City Council approves an ambitious redevelopment plan.
In the Microsoft-Google war, consumers and innovation both lose.
Read Full Article »