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U.S. official expects N. Korean leader to live three more years: sources
SEOUL, March 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's aging leader Kim Jong-il appears to have three years left to live, a senior U.S. official was quoted Wednesday as saying, as the health of the reclusive 68-year-old remains a focus of international attention.
, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, made the remark on Feb. 3 when he met with a group of South Korean lawmakers and North Korean defectors at the U.S. embassy in Seoul, according to multiple participants. | | Kurt Campbell (Data picture) |
The diplomat was quoted as saying the judgement is based on a collection of medical analyses.
The embassy said it was unable to comment because the meeting took place behind closed doors. Campbell was on a three-day visit to Seoul for discussions with South Korean officials on North Korea and the Washington-Seoul alliance.
The meeting covered a range of topics, including a possible hereditary power succession in North Korea, participants said.
Kim's health has been a focus of international attention since he reportedly suffered a stroke in the summer of 2008 and disappeared from public activities for months.
Analysts believe his absence could spark political chaos and mass defections because he controls the secretive communist country with absolute authority. Such a scenario could also leave North Korea without control over its nuclear arsenal, analysts say.
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