N. Korean leader gives field guidance to tile factory

SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has visited a
newly-built tile factory in Pyongyang, state media said, as fresh speculation
emerges about his health.
In a dispatch dated on Monday and published around midnight, the official Korean
Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim gave "field guidance" to the Taedonggang Tile
Factory and "went round its interior and exterior" to learn about its facilities.
The health condition of Kim, who allegedly suffered a stroke in August last year,
returned to intense media spotlight on Monday as South Korea's cable television
network YTN said he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and that the
illness was "life-threatening." The report cited unidentified intelligence
sources at home and in China but gave no details about his symptoms.
The South Korean government said it had no information to share about the
reported illness, a stance echoed by Washington.
North Korean state media continued to report on Kim's brisk activities, with the
latest visit bringing the total number of his public tours so far this year to
82, compared to 57 last year.
Kim "expressed great satisfaction over the fact that the soldier builders have
built the modern factory in such a manner as to let it win the admiration of
posterity," the KCNA said.
The factory's production relies strictly on locally available raw materials, he
said, and such "successful endeavors being made by all domains of the national
economy ... fully reflect the unshakable faith of the Korean people to build a
great prosperous and powerful nation on this land by their own efforts, resources
and technology without fail."
Kim held a photo session with the factory workers during his tour. His entourage
included Kim Ki-nam, secretary of the Workers' Party central committee, and party
department directors Park Nam-gi and Jang Song-thaek, as well as Korean People's
Army generals Hyon Chol-hae and Ri Myong-su.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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