Report on Kim's stroke rejected

The Republic of Korea's (ROK) intelligence agency yesterday rejected a Japanese television report that Kim Jong-il, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), had suffered a second stroke.

Japan's TBS TV network said Kim had suffered a second stroke late last month that affected the movement of his left arm and leg and also his ability to speak. The broadcaster quoted a source in the ROK close to a US intelligence agency.

"We're viewing it with a low credibility," an ROK National Intelligence Service official said. He declined to discuss the details of the report or the agency's assessment.