Report: North Korea to make 'major announcement'

Announcement could be about Kim Jong Il's health or North Korea's relations with neighboring South Korea, Japanese report says.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Kim Jong Il new 248.88 (photo credit: AP)
Kim Jong Il new 248.88
(photo credit: AP)
North Korea has ordered its diplomats abroad to be on standby for an "important announcement" that could be about the health of its leader Kim Jong Il, a Japanese newspaper said. Quoting several unidentified sources, the Yomiuri report Saturday said North Korea had told its diplomats to refrain from traveling to be ready for the announcement. The order was probably issued several days ago, it said. The announcement could be about Kim's health or North Korea's relations with neighboring South Korea, it said. The report gave no further details. Japanese Foreign Ministry officials could not be reached for comment late Saturday. Kim, 66, disappeared from public view in mid-August and failed to make appearances on two important national holidays, leading to speculation he was seriously ill. US and South Korean officials said he suffered a stroke and had brain surgery, but North Korea has denied he is ailing. Amid mounting speculation about his health, North Korea released photos earlier this month showing Kim inspecting a military unit and appearing healthy. However, it did not say when the pictures were taken, and some analysts have said they appeared to have been made at an earlier time because the foliage wasn't appropriate for the time of year. On Thursday, North Korea threatened to break off all relations with South Korea if its new conservative government continues what the North called a policy of reckless confrontation with the communist nation. North Korea has been unhappy with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office in February with a pledge to get tough on the North _ a stance that contrasted with that of his two liberal predecessors who aggressively sought reconciliation with North Korea by providing massive aid to the impoverished nation. The two sides fought the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a cease-fire that has never been replaced by a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically still at war. Their ties warmed significantly after the first summit of their leaders in 2000 before cooling again this year.