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— North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's latest public appearance is spurring fresh speculation that his health might be worsening, almost a year after he reportedly suffered a stroke.
The 67-year-old Kim was markedly thinner and had less hair in TV footage Wednesday of the North's annual state memorial for his late father and the country's founding leader, Kim Il Sung.
The reclusive Kim Jong Il also limped slightly, and the sides of his tightlipped mouth looked imbalanced in what were believed to be the effects of a stroke he reportedly suffered last August. The memorial was just his second major public appearance since then.
Images of the gaunt Kim made the front pages of many South Korean newspapers Thursday. Some, including the leading Chosun Ilbo daily, said the loss of weight and hair appear to be result of other health problems. The Seoul Shinmun newspaper reported that the sides of Kim's mouth could suggest the aftereffects of the stroke have worsened.
South Korea's spy agency has long suspected that Kim has diabetes and heart disease.
Medical doctor and professor Min Yang-ki of Seoul's Hallym University Medical Center said diabetes usually leads to weight loss. The neurologist also said Kim's limping appears to be a result of a stroke. However, he said, overall it appeared Kim has recovered from the illness.
Kim walked on his own into a Pyongyang auditorium for Wednesday's ceremony at a normal pace and bowed while standing during a moment of silence.
North Korea experts said the latest images of Kim show he is still fit enough to rule.
"It appears that his health is not getting any better, but that does not mean he has any problem with ruling," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies. "I think Kim rules the country as usual."
The totalitarian leader, whose rule is buttressed by an intense cult of personality, knew that the people of North Korea would pay great attention to Wednesday's memorial, and his appearance there is a message that he is in charge, Yang said.
His health has sparked concerns about instability and a power struggle if he were to die without naming a successor. His third and youngest son, Kim Jong Un, has widely been reported as being groomed as heir, but the regime has made no announcement to the outside world.
None of Kim's three sons were seen at the ceremony.
Kim Jong Il took over North Korea after his father died 1994 of heart failure at age 82, though he did not take on his father's title of president.
He runs the North from his post as chairman of the National Defense Commission. In early April, he presided over a parliamentary meeting where he was re-elected as leader.
