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DOCTOR'S ADVICE: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's home and other places he frequents have been declared no-smoking zones after his doctor advised him to stop smoking. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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A SMOKING ban in Pyongyang is not so much about trying to protect the general populace from unwanted smoke as it is about North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
Mr Kim, who has heart problems, has been advised to stop smoking and drinking.
To help him stick to the prescription, a smoking ban has been imposed at all the places he frequents.
'Kim Jong Il's doctor told him not to drink or smoke,' said Mr Jang Sung Min, a close aide of former South Korean president Kim Dae Jung, who pioneered Seoul's policy of engagement with Pyongyang.
'So Kim Jong Il's home and office and other places he goes to have all been designated as no-smoking places. Even the highest-level officials have to comply, so now everyone has to go outside to smoke,' said Mr Jang, citing a top Chinese diplomat who deals closely with North Korea.
Several accounts portray Mr Kim as a former chain-smoker and a cognac-guzzling playboy with an appetite for fine dining.
Rumours about North Korea's eccentric and reclusive 'Dear Leader' are constantly buzzing, with those concerning his health attracting the most attention as the 65-year-old's death could spell the end of his widely reviled regime.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
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