Seoul says has no information on N. Korea's 'important announcement'

SEOUL/SHENYANG, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's government has no confirmed intelligence about Japanese reports that North Korea was planning an 'important announcement' this week, its Unification Ministry said Sunday.

In a related development that also runs counter to Japanese media reports, North
Korean diplomats stationed in China are not showing any unusual activities,
according to sources in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, close to the
North Korean border.
"I have heard the rumors with regard to North Korea's imminent 'important
announcement,' but I have no information to give you at the moment," Kim
Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the Unification Ministry, told reporters.
Speculations about North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's health resurfaced this
weekend following reports by the Sankei Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun that
North Korea has ordered its diplomats not to leave their missions, as it plans to
make an important announcement as early as Monday. Citing unidentified sources,
the reports said the announcement could possibly be about the health condition of
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il or an entry ban on foreigners amid Kim's
prolonged absence from the public eye.
Seoul officials have said they have detected nothing special in the North. The
South Korean government checked any signs related to a stand-by order or an entry
ban, such as strengthened border control or increased communication, but "There
was no unusual signs seen yet," another ministry official said.
The North Korean leader was also assumed to be recovering health after suffering
a stroke, the official added.
Kim's absence from recent state events, including a parade marking the 60th
anniversary of the nation's founding in early September, has fanned speculation
about his health and a possible power reshuffle in the communist country.
Sources in China also cast doubt on Japanese reports, saying North Korean
diplomats there were doing business as usual. Some North Korean Embassy staff in
Beijing were still out of town after going on official trips, said a source
well-versed on North Korean missions in the Chinese capital.
"In connection with the standby order rumors, I've been paying attention to any
moves at the North Korean Embassy in China, but sensed no unusual activity," the
source said on condition of anonymity.
Another source said, "Some said North Korea may announce new measures soon with
regard to the recent U.S. delisting of North Korea from the terror-sponsoring
nations list, but it is not certain whether the possible new announcement will be
important enough to issue a standby order to diplomats."
Ri Ki-bom, North Korea's consul-general in Shenyang, appeared at an anniversary
event of a Korean newspaper in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, on Friday and seemed
to be continuing his outside activities, sources said.
A Korean-Chinese businessman whose interests involve North Korea also doubted the
authenticity of the rumors, citing his recent meeting with North Korean Cabinet
officials who came to Dalian, Liaoning Province, for an official trip.
"If it's true that North Korea issued a standby order to missions abroad, could
they really be able to travel to China?" he asked.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials said the 66-year-old Kim underwent
surgery after suffering a stroke in mid-August and is now recovering. Still,
rumors circulate about his health.
Last week, North Korea's state media released photos of Kim inspecting a women's
military unit, marking the first time Pyongyang has released a photo of Kim in 56
days. Officials suspected, however, that the photos could have been taken as far
back as mid-August, based on the foliage.