N. Korean leader well enough to get back to work: intelligence chief

By Shin Hae-in

SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il appears to be quickly recovering from a stroke he reportedly suffered, well enough to resume his ordinary duties, South Korea's intelligence chief was quoted as saying Tuesday.

North Korea's high-profile leader has been absent from the public eye since Aug.
14, with foreign doctors reportedly entering the country that month to conduct a
medical operation. The communist state has been denying reports of its leader's
illness.
The outside world, including Seoul and Washington, has been keenly interested in
the leader's health due to his country's ongoing nuclear ambitions.
"Although not completely fit, he appears well enough to perform his daily
duties," National Intelligence Service Director Kim Sung-ho was quoted as saying
by opposition party lawmaker Park Young-sun during a close-door parliamentary
session.
"We also believe Kim's eldest son make a trip to France last week," the
intelligence chief added, concerning recent reports that Kim Jung-nam visited
Paris to meet a neurosurgeon for his ailing father.