Seoul, July 05: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has been living at an east coast villa since mid-May and is likely convalescing after reportedly suffering a stroke last year, a newspaper said on Sunday citing US and South Korean intelligence.
Kim’s health has been the focus of keen attention since Western intelligence officials said he suffered a stroke in August before publicly naming his successor.
South Korean officials say he has recovered, yet the 67-year-old looked gaunt when he appeared at the country’s rubber-stamp Parliament in April.
The US informed Seoul that Kim had been staying at the villa in Wonsan since mid-May, the JoongAng Ilbo Sunday newspaper said, quoting an unidentified official privy to North Korean affairs.
The report said US military satellites, which closely monitor Kim’s personal vehicles, had detected his movement.
The official said it was “certain” that Kim was not in Pyongyang and that South Korean intelligence authorities believed Kim had stayed at Wonsan for a long time.
Wonsan is also close to a launch facility from where South Korea said the North test-fired seven ballistic missiles yesterday, defying UN resolutions.
The paper quoted two other unidentified officials as saying Kim was likely convalescing at the Wonsan villa.
—Agencies