N. Korea developing special warfare capabilities: officials

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is working to develop special warfare capabilities in addition to missiles and nuclear weapons, South Korea's military intelligence office said Wednesday.

"In addition to placing a large amount of effort into developing nuclear weapons
and missiles, North Korea is increasing its special warfare capabilities based on
lessons from the war in Iraq," Defense Ministry officials were quoted as saying
during a parliamentary inspection of the ministry's intelligence bureau.
The officials, however, noted the North's buildup of conventional arms has
significantly slowed due to its prolonged economic downturn, according to members
of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee.
The ministry officials again said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is ailing,
but that it had observed no signs of unusual movement by the North's military.
Kim, 66, suffered a stroke in early August, according to South Korean officials.
Reports of public appearances by the leader have been largely absent from North
Korean media since.
Kim Sung-ho, the head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, said on
Tuesday the North Korean leader has yet to fully recover but is now well enough
to perform his daily duties.
North Korea set off a nuclear device in October 2006, following its test-firing
of seven mid- and long-range missiles in July that year.