TOKYO - NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Il may have had a second stroke in October that has affected his speech, a Japanese news report said on Tuesday.
US intelligence received information that Mr Kim, 66, had another stroke in late October, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) said on its website, citing an unnamed American intelligence source based in South Korea.
Brother-in-law gains power amid Kim's illness: analysts
SEOUL - THE brother-in-law of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il has become even more powerful since Mr Kim fell sick, officials and analysts say, with some believing he is effectively standing in for the supreme leader.
The influence of Mr Jang Song-Taek has become greater than ever since Mr Kim was reportedly hit by a stroke, Cheong Seong-Chang, of South Korea's private Sejong Institute think-tank, said on Tuesday.
According to the information, Mr Kim was receiving treatment at an exclusive Pyongyang hospital for a first stroke he suffered in mid-August, TBS said.
'However, he had the second stroke in late October, which caused him difficulty moving his left hand and leg, and has affected his speech,' TBS said.
The US source, however, was not clear about the severity of the symptoms, TBS said.
A South Korea unification ministry spokesman said he had no information to confirm the TBS report.
Mr Kim's health is the subject of intense speculation because he has not publicly nominated a successor to run the impoverished and nuclear-armed nation.
French brain surgeon Francois-Xavier Roux, head of neurosurgery at the Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris, has admitted to visiting Pyongyang last month but denied treating the North Korean leader.
After Mr Kim failed to attend a September 9 parade marking the country's 60th anniversary, South Korean and US officials said the reclusive leader had suffered a stroke around mid-August but was recovering well.
Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso said late last month that Mr Kim was probably in hospital but still capable of making decisions.
Some reports have said Mr Kim may have suffered partial paralysis. North Korean official media recently released news accounts and photos of Mr Kim's activities without specifying when the activities took place. -- AFP
