North Korean leader 'convalescing by the sea'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has been living at a coastal villa since mid-May and is probably convalescing after reportedly suffering a stroke last year, a newspaper said today, citing US and South Korean intelligence.

Kim’s health has been the focus of attention since Western intelligence officials said he suffered a stroke in August before publicly naming his successor.

South Korean officials say he has recovered, but 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 South Korean JoongAng Ilbo Sunday newspaper said.

The report said US military satellites, which closely monitor Kim’s personal vehicles, had detected his movement.

A South Korean official said it was “certain” 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 on Saturday, defying UN resolutions.

The paper quoted two other unidentified officials as saying Kim was probably convalescing at the Wonsan villa.

JoongAng Ilbo said Kim may have left his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, in charge in Pyongyang, allowing him to experience running state affairs on his own.

South Korea’s spy agency told MPs last month that Pyongyang had notified its diplomatic missions and government agencies overseas that 26-year-old son Kim Jong Un was in line to succeed his father.

But South Korean Defence Minister Lee Sang-hee said intelligence suggested a final decision on succession had yet to be made.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles relations with North Korea, and the National Intelligence Service said they could not confirm the JoongAng Ilbo report.