Chinese and South Korean Intel Sources Say Kim Il Jung Has Pancreatic Cancer

Various reports over the past couple of years have noted that North Korean strongman Kim Il Jung has been in pretty bad health. It's been suggested that he's been recovering from a stroke. His most recent appearance showed Kim with a frail appearance.

The latest report suggests that he has pancreatic cancer.

Mr. Kim’s health is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the reclusive communist state of North Korea. Mr. Kim, 67, was widely thought to have suffered a stroke last year, but there has never been official confirmation.

He looked gaunt during a public appearance last Wednesday at a memorial for his father, the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung.

The YTN account did not explain how the sources for its information learned about the pancreatic cancer diagnosis. But if Mr. Kim does have pancreatic cancer, it is likely to mean he could only have months to live, perhaps less. The disease is one of the most hard to detect in its early stages and has one of the highest fatality rates.

Such a diagnosis would also make questions about the succession process in North Korea, and control of its nuclear weapons program, far more urgent.

The North conducted its second nuclear test on May 25. The United Nations responded with toughened sanctions aimed at cutting off the impoverished state’s lucrative arms trade and one of its few sources of hard cash.

There is still the question of who will succeed him, and while signs point to one of his sons, it's not a sure thing.